Pistons' stifling defense has them at top of the East

20-year-old Ron Holland is a hyper-athletic wing who has stepped up his defense this season. He had two steals Wednesday and has 1.8 for the season, using his strength and his 6-foot-11 wingspan to envelop opponents. Holland is averaging six more minutes than last season, thanks to his newfound defense and going from a terrible three-point shooter (23.8%) to an acceptable one (34.6%).

Jalen Duren is becoming a force inside

It's one thing for the Pistons to force a ton of missed shots. They also need to corral those misses, and Jalen Duren was a monster on the boards against the Jazz. He had 22 rebounds to go along with his 22 points and is up to 11.4 rebounds per game on the season.

Duren is in his fourth NBA season, but he's still only 21. He's also playing for a contract, since he'll be a restricted free agent next summer. Duren kept the slow-starting Pistons afloat in the first half with 18 points and 10 boards, four of them on the offensive glass.

The Pistons don't have a great offense, especially with Tobias Harris out and Jaden Ivey out indefinitely. They do have a great defense, and that's been good enough to make them 6-2 and an early contender in the East.