Since the Pistons have an NBA Cup-induced break right now before facing the Hawks on Friday, it’s a good time to see how Detroit’s season stacks up with just over 25% of the regular season under wraps. 

Claiming a 19-5 record in first place of the Eastern Conference, it is relatively clear that the Pistons have exceeded expectations up to this point. Few, if any, predicted that the Pistons would tie their franchise record with 13 consecutive wins before even reaching December, so the early stages of the campaign have been fruitful for Detroit. 

After making a brief appearance in the playoffs last season, the Pistons were determined to make another postseason run this year. But after such rampant success right away, the Pistons happily readjusted their expectations to include a trip to the NBA Finals, as star point guard Cade Cunningham has referenced multiple times in recent weeks. 

“This season is not about winning an MVP for me,” Cunningham said in late November. “This season is about winning a Finals, more than anything.”

With Cunningham registering another All-NBA-type season, the Pistons lead the NBA in clutch wins with 13 so far, and Cade checks in with the second-most points in the fourth quarter of any player in the league. Right now, Cunningham is on pace to set a new career best in points, rebounds and assists per game, so the fifth-year guard is in the form of his life and has his team sitting atop its conference.

At the moment, the Pistons are a top 10 squad in overall field goal percentage, but Detroit drops down all the way to No. 19 for three-point percentage, which underpins the squad’s relatively rocky start from long range. The addition of Duncan Robinson has helped stabilize the Pistons’ outside shooting after losing Malik Beasley in the offseason. The Pistons would really benefit from Jaden Ivey returning as a consistent outside threat as he continues to get back fully healthy, and he’s shot the ball well despite operating under a minutes restriction lately. 

The highlight of Detroit’s offense, though, is the two-man game between Cunningham and center Jalen Duren. Between the two, the lethal lob connection is responsible for almost 50 points per game for the Pistons. Duren has grown considerably as a ball handler and is efficient on dribble-drives, so the Cade-to-JD connection has flourished through the first 24 games for Detroit. 

Outside of Cunningham and Duren, the Pistons have had a rotating case of players who are capable of putting up 20 points on any given night, such as Isaiah Stewart, Tobias Harris or Daniss Jenkins, but none of those players have scored at that rate consistently. 

Final Grade: B

The strength of the Pistons’ team this season has to unquestionably be its defense. With Beef Stew anchoring the paint down low, the Pistons have been the top defensive team at the rim this season. Stewart is averaging two blocks per game himself, and he’s engineering a campaign for Defensive Player of the Year that is quickly gaining steam. Now, Stewart will have to play at least 20 minutes per game for most of the season to qualify for the award, so it is unclear if he will be eligible. But based on his defensive impact thus far, Stewart has at least entered the conversation. 

As expected, Ausar Thompson is a defensive ace who can single-handedly shut down opposing ball handlers, and he’s given a number of talented opposing point guards nightmares this season already. Thompson could very well wind up on the All-Defensive team before all is said and done. 

Final Grade: A-

READ MORE: Eberley: Giannis To Detroit Would Require Pistons to Part With Ausar Thompson

Through 20 games, the emergence of point guard Daniss Jenkins was quite possibly the most heartwarming story of the NBA season. As a two-way player, Jenkins worked his way into the lineup due to injury and has stayed in the mix thanks to his playmaking and steady decision making on the court. Jenkins can initiate the offense and run the second unit seamlessly when Cunningham is resting or he can comfortably play off-ball next to Cade as well. Jenkins helps open up the lineup possibilities for Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, and he’s been a valuable asset to the team thus far. 

If there is one area in which the Pistons can certainly improve, that would be perimeter shooting. Robinson has helped in that department, but the Pistons struggle to knock down outside shots against zone defenses at times, and that will serve to bite Detroit during the postseason. If Ivey can come back as the same player the Pistons saw a season ago, that would go a long way in helping Detroit post more of a threat from three-point range. 

The Pistons are about as healthy as they have been all season. Tobias Harris has missed the past several games due to a sprained ankle, so the current stretch of rest days should help Detroit come back even healthier against Atlanta in a couple days. 

For more information on the latest Detroit Pistons team or player news, follow @EricJRutter on X for continued basketball coverage. Also be sure to look up Roundtable - Michigan Men Media on Facebook for continued social media coverage of all the sporting teams in the Mitten.