What to be Thankful for as a Pistons Fan | The Mid-Weekly Drive
The best story in the NBA brings plenty to be thankful for.
Good morning Pistons fans, and welcome to the first (and very seldomly-posted) Mid-Weekly Drive. Before we get into this special edition, I hope you and yours have a happy Thanksgiving. There’s a lot to be thankful for as a Pistons fan, but in case the food coma is making it a little hard to think, here are a few reminders:
Cade Cunningham
This list must start with the obvious, and that is Cade Cunningham. Not too many teams in the NBA have the luxury of rostering a top-15 player in the league, but the Pistons do. Add in that he is just 24-years-old and there is a lot to be thankful for.
Cunningham is averaging 28.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 9.3 assists per game - all of which are career-bests. He has cut his turnovers dramatically, now in the top 30% of the league per Cleaning the Glass. Scroll up and down the Pistons’ PR Twitter/X account and you’ll find ridiculous stat lines that have only been achieved by a handful of people in league history.
Six-straight games with 25 points and ten assists? Oscar Robertson, Luka Doncic, Trae Young, Nate Archibald…and Cade.
First player in NBA history with 30 points, ten assists, three steals, three blocks, and zero turnovers in a game.
On pace to be the seventh player in league history to average at least 27 points, five rebounds, and nine assists per game, joining Robertson, Doncic, Nikola Jokic, LeBron James, James Harden, and Russell Westbrook.
I won’t even bother trying to list off the organizational records he is shattering, but there are many of them.
Don’t take for granted what Cunningham has become and what his ceiling may be. He is more than a good young player, but a bonafide star that is worth the price of admission.
Not Giving Up on Jalen Duren
Loyal listeners to the Palace of Pistons Podcast will know that we were not high on Jalen Duren this time last year, as he was looking more like Onyeka Okongwu than Bam Adebayo. He looked limited as an offensive weapon, inconsistent as a defender, and concerns about some foot injuries.
But in the second half of last season there were encouraging signs that Duren had figured it out. Now we know that those indications have led to vindications.
Duren has become not just one of the best young centers in the NBA, but at his position outright. The issues with him on offense have been largely rectified, as Duren has improved his efficiency around the rim and short range dramatically. He has a few post moves, good body positioning to snag offensive rebounds (4.4 per game), and continues to be an elite roll man for Cunningham. The Pistons’ offense is in the 91st percentile with Duren on the floor, per Cleaning the Glass.
The Pistons’ defense as a whole has been very good this season, but Duren is the anchor in the middle that glues everything together. The counting stats don’t tell the whole story, as teams are far less willing to drive to the hoop when Duren is on the floor. Can’t accumulate blocks when players don’t attempt shots on you.
Be thankful the coaching staff never wavered on Duren, but that he himself has taken that next step. There is a case to be made that he is the second-best player on the team right now, and for the immediate future.
Good Locker Room Vibes
It used to be harder to quantify how important this is to a team’s total makeup, but take a look around the league. No, take a good, hard look across the league.
Memphis is perhaps at the bottom of the vibe barrel with Ja Morant very vocally unhappy. Dallas, finally realizing trading their best player to the most annoying organization in the league was a bad idea, are on the verge of total implosion. Golden State is trying to wedge a window open that has no glass. Philadelphia should just rename themselves after the Red Cross. The Clippers are geriatric, at best. Is it even worth mentioning the Nets, Wizards, and Pacers - who have a combined seven wins?
Aside from the reigning champs in Oklahoma City, there is a case to be made that the Pistons have the best vibes in the league. Remember two years ago when they had inarguably the worst? Winning heals everything, even 28-game losing streaks.
The Weak Eastern Conference
As the title says, the Pistons have the privilege of playing the majority of their games in a conference that has some of the worst teams in the league. As such, the Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks are not exactly lighting the world on fire either. Orlando and Atlanta, the darlings of the offseason, are off to slow-ish starts as well and show plenty of cracks in their armor.
The Pistons are on pace for around 50 wins, per FanDuel. That puts them firmly in the upper echelon of the Eastern Conference, and the expectation should be that they get to the second round of the playoffs. Be thankful that the road to that goal is well-paved and manicured.
You, the Fans
Sappy? Maybe, but it’s true. Ask anyone in the organization what they are thankful for, whether they play on the court or work at a desk, and they will surely say the fans.
And that goes double for us, especially those that listen or watch the podcast, read these articles, or interact with us on social media. It all means a lot and still feels a little surreal to me when someone tells me they loved the show - or call me an idiot in the YouTube comments. I appreciate it the same. Well, almost the same.
Thanks for checking in to the Weekly Drive in-between courses, desserts, or football games. I’ll speak for my two podcast co-hosts when I say this: have a Happy Thanksgiving, and go Pistons.
See you next week.
Mike