The Detroit Pistons have one of the most close-knit rosters in the association
Over the past two seasons, Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff has worked to build a team-first mentality in Detroit, and the team carries a moniker that illustrates the bonds across this team: “together all the time, all the time together.”
The Pistons echo this mantra after each huddle as Bickerstaff aims to build a team full of players that actually enjoy each other’s company in hopes that this chemistry will carry onto the court. And from Pistons center Jalen Duren’s perspective, the Detroit squad is full of players that are willing to fight for each other.
During a recent interview on The Zach Lowe Show, Duren spoke about the togetherness that has become an identifiable quality on the Pistons this season.
“It’s just understanding the passion that they have for the game,” Duren said. “Those guys are super, super passionate about the game, the team and winning. I think it’s all for the love of the game, honestly. We go and we’ve got each other’s backs. If it’s something that they don’t like, it’s something that we all don’t like. We are behind each other 1,000%. We live and die with Stew, Ron, whoever it is. We love the intensity. We love the mud. We love to play in those high-intensity, high-stress environments. It’s been good for us.”
Given the Pistons’ proclivity to enter scraps with opposing players, it is clear that Bickerstaff’s plan is not just mere words– they’re instructions. The Pistons stick up for each other on the court, and that never-back-down frame of mind has helped propel Detroit to the first place position in the Eastern Conference, and Duren may be on the cusp of his first All-Star appearance as well.
Averaging north of 18 points and 11 rebounds per game, Duren is a walking double-double lately with two straight 20-point double-doubles to his credit over the past two games, both of which were on the road. When Duren is joined in the paint with Isaiah Stewart, the two Detroit big men form one of the most formidable front courts in the NBA. Stewart brings the brash physicality and rim protection, while Duren offers an educated pick and roll game with lob offshoots from Cade Cunningham when the time is right.
With Duren and Stewart setting the tone, the Pistons have put together one of the toughest rosters in the NBA at the moment, and this hard-nosed style of play has secured Detroit on top of the Eastern Conference for six straight weeks now.
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