Cade Cunningham (left) and Jalen Duren have Detroit humming to start the 2025-26 season.
The Detroit Pistons are the hottest team in the NBA with an 8-2 record in their last 10 games, including a six-game winning streak. Last season, Detroit more than tripled its win total from 2023-24 to make the postseason for the first time since 2019. The Pistons are building on that season and establishing themselves as one of the premier teams in the Eastern Conference. Here’s a look at how the Pistons have rattled off this impressive win streak as they look to extend it tonight against the Wizards (7 ET, Peacock).
- Cade Cunningham is mastering his craft: Cunningham has always been a threat to score every time down the floor, and he’s showing that he’s an elite facilitator as well. Last season, he bumped from 7.5 to 9.1 (4th), and now he’s building on that this season. Cunningham is dishing out 9.8 assists per game and during this winning streak, he’s averaging 11.2 apg. This includes an 18-assist night against the Mavericks on Nov. 1 that tied a career high.
- Duren’s domination: Jalen Duren is a double-double machine who is picking up from where he left off last season, when he finished ninth in the league in that category with 41. He has six already, five of which have come during the win streak. He even had a 20-20 game with 22 points and 22 boards in the Nov. 5 win over the Jazz. Overall, Duren is putting up 23.5 points, 13.5 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 1 block per game during the win streak. He’s shooting 68% overall and 86% on free throws.
- The metrics believe in Detroit: The Pistons rank fourth in Net Rating during the win streak (12.0), ranking behind only the Thunder, Nuggets and Timberwolves in that span. Their offensive rating (120.4) ranks fifth and their defensive rating (108.3) ranks fourth. The Pistons also rate well in Four Factors in this stretch. They’re not turning the ball over (13%), they’re getting to the line (33.7%; 4th) and not letting the opposition get easy buckets (50.3 opponent eFG%).
- Supporting cast doing their job: Duncan Robinson is already looking like a great signing for the Pistons. He’s contributing 2.6 3-pointers made per game, including 3 a game during the win streak. Robinson is hitting 45% of his attempts in that span while adding nearly a steal per game as well.
- Ausar Thompson becoming an elite defender: Thompson’s impact goes well beyond the scoring column, where he’s chipping in 13.7 ppg on 49.3% shooting during the win streak. He is also delivering on defense. He has three games with at least three steals during the win streak and is also blocking nearly one shot per game. His defensive rating (104.9) ranks seventh among players averaging at least 30 minutes per game over the last six games.
