In the early stages of the 2025-26 regular season, the Detroit Pistons have shown flashes of brilliance intermixed between errant missteps along the way to a .500 record after four games. The Pistons stand at 2-2 with a pair of home and road games under their belt, and Detroit has an opportunity to improve on that record when the club hosts the Orlando Magic at home tonight at 7 pm.

But in evaluating the Pistons’ performance relative to the rest of the NBA so far this season, ESPN has released the latest edition of its league-wide power rankings, and Detroit had slid in the rankings from its prior position at No. 12. This time, Motown’s basketball team checks in at the No. 14 spot as ESPN’s Vincent Goodwill broke down and explained the ranking.

“The absence left behind by Malik Beasley and Jaden Ivey's injury has hurt the Pistons, despite their record. The Pistons shot above league average from 3-point range (32%) in only one game against Houston. "We're still learning. It's a bit of a different group that's playing out there together. It'll smooth out, it's been choppy at times." coach JB Bickerstaff said. Ausar Thompson looks ready for more responsibility on offense, despite his game still rounding out. He terrorized the Celtics on Sunday with 21 points and 12 rebounds (five offensive). -- Goodwill”

As alluded to, the Pistons have presented an offense that’s a bit of a work in progress so far. Duncan Robinson, one of the team’s new additions, is still working to settle into his role as an outside scorer and kick-out pass in Detroit’s offense, though he’s shown that he’s still a lethal shooter with a 5/7 mark from distance this season. Robinson is slated to replace Beasley’s marksman qualities from deep, but the veteran still needs to find his footing in the Detroit offense, one that is still rounding into form without Ivey.

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Without the explosive Purdue product in the lineup, the Pistons have utilized Thompson as a primary ball handler with regularity this season and have leaned on his playmaking ability to help initiate offense for Detroit, acting as a point forward as a result. Thompson’s increased usage in setting up the offense has helped lessen the blow of Ivey’s absence, but it is clear that the Pistons are not yet at full strength. 

Does No. 14 feel like an accurate place to position the Pistons to you? The team is .500 right now, but the best is yet to come. Detroit has been heavily mired by injuries in the early stages of this season, so the Pistons are yet to field a complete lineup, so it is difficult to see what the team's true potential is. 

Later tonight, the Pistons will have a chance to move above .500 when Detroit hosts the Orlando Magic for a 7 pm tip-off.

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