Pistons are shaping up to be a nightmare playoff matchup

But they haven't just been better than any Pistons team in more than a decade. Since giving up an embarrassing 48 first-quarter points in a loss to the Utah Jazz Dec. 19, Detroit has gone 29-15. Their point differential is +5.8, fourth-best in the NBA in that stretch. From Dec. 20 through Tuesday, Detroit is No. 7 in offensive rating, No. 4 in defensive rating and has the league's third-best rebound rate.

Tuesday, the Pistons blew out the Spurs with All-Star Cade Cunningham out with a bruised calf, a testament to the depth of the team. Marcus Sasser scored a career-high 27 points Tuesday off the bench. Malik Beasley leads the NBA in three-pointers. Ausar Thompson is a defensive stopper, while veterans Tobias Harris and Tim Hardaway, Jr. provide reliable, unspectacular scoring. Jalen Duren averages a double-double.

The team's slow start hurt their overall record, and disguises how good the Pistons have been for three months. Part of the turnaround was getting Thompson back from injury, while part of it was young players getting accustomed to new head coach J.B. Bickerstaff and the NBA itself.

The Pistons could get another boost. Third-year guard Jaden Ivey has recovered enough from his broken fibula that he's running at practice, if not playing games yet.

With or without Ivey, Eastern Conference teams shouldn't take the Pistons lightly. The franchise has been bad for a very long time, but in 2025, this team has been very good.