We were last in the league in 2023! Now we are No. 1 in the Eastern Conference, a new version of the Bad Boys, the defense is too tough

After the new NBA season started on November 9, many teams performed surprisingly well. There are now many young teams in the East and West rankings, such as the Trail Blazers, Spurs, Pistons and Bulls. The rise of some young teams also heralds the fall of many teams with former veteran stars, such as the current Mavericks, Kings and Clippers. However, I believe that the Clippers still have a chance to get rid of the haze and get on the right track.

The current way of rebuilding the league is basically following the Thunder, that is, by failing for a few years, hoarding enough talents, and then relying on these young talents to rise. After all, it is difficult for small ball markets to win big-name stars, so rebuilding is the most direct and effective way. For now, the Spurs, Pistons, and Trail Blazers have all risen in this way, and the Rockets, which rose last season, also use this method.

As long as enough talents are accumulated and a suitable cornerstone is found, the team can rise quickly. The Spurs have talents such as Wenban, Castle and Harper, and they have found a new version of GDP. The Rockets have talents such as Shen Jing, Amen, Smith and Ethan. Shen Jing is another generation of their inside cornerstone. The rise of the Rockets team has the shadow of top insiders, Olajuwon, Yao Ming, Moses Malone, and Big E.

The Pistons have formed a new version of their bad boy army. They have averaged the most fouls in the league at 25.1 times per game since the start of the season, ranking first in the league in technical fouls with 11 players, and first in the league with 3 total flagrant fouls. The Pistons team used to be very soft, they had no defense and had a poor attitude towards the game, but after Bierstaff arrived, he instilled a tough and tenacious winning philosophy into the team and helped the team get on the right track.

Of course, winning depends not only on the coach, but also on their young core. The Pistons have many players with the top five picks. Cunningham, Orsa, Holland and Ivey are all No. 5 picks. Now Ivey has not come back. As a result, they have reached the first position in the Eastern Conference with 7 wins and 2 losses. Waiting for Ivey to return this season, this team has the opportunity to occupy the top three rankings in the Eastern Conference for a long time. They have such strength.

The Pistons relied on their talent to reach the Eastern Conference playoffs last season, which was the first season of their rise. In 23 years, the Pistons were still last in the Eastern Conference, or last in the league to be precise. They suffered a painful 28-game losing streak this season, which also tied the historical record. At that time, the outside world's evaluation of the Pistons was: This team has no future and is so bad. This season they also signed Monty as their coach for 78.5 million in six years.

As a result, after Monty spent one season, the Pistons waived him, which made them the biggest joke in the league. Cunningham was not optimistic at the time. Although he was the No. 1 pick, he had averaged 22+7 per game in the third year of his career. , but at that time, everyone thought that he was just a data brush and had no ability to lead the team. However, in the fourth year of his career, everything changed. Cunningham became even better, and he relied on his ball-holding core to drive the team very well.

During the recent 5-game winning streak of the Pistons, Cunningham averaged 29.8 points, 11.2 assists and 1.6 steals per game. This performance is said to be that of Doncic, and some people believe that under his team-up this season Seven of the Pistons averaged double figures in points per game, and they also played suffocating defense. The Pistons are one of the strongest defensive teams in the league this season. They are very similar to the Rockets last season. This team relied on extreme defense and rebound protection to complete its rise.

Since the start of the season, they have averaged 47.9 rebounds per game, ranking third in the league, averaging 9.3 steals per game, ranking 10th in the league, and ranking 2nd in the league with 6.4 blocks. Relying on their strong defense, they have only conceded 110.8 points per game this season, fourth in the league, and second in the league in defensive efficiency of 109.6. A team with good defense will definitely have a good record. The bad boy attributes of this team are brought by Stewart, and I believe many fans know him.

Because a conflict with Lao Zhan brought him attention, after feeling the huge traffic this conflict brought to him, Stewart seemed to have found a way to make money and his own style of play. He has been playing like this since then. It doesn't matter whether he plays well or not. He makes full use of his thorny attributes on the court, and this has also subtly affected other players. Now the Pistons players are not only tough, but some players are also a little dirty like Stewart.

Now on the Eastern side, the former dominant Celtics and Pacers have fallen. This is not only an opportunity for the Cavaliers and Knicks to break out of the division, but also an opportunity for the Pistons and Bucks to perform well. The Pistons may be the second-best team in the Eastern Conference after the Knicks and Cavaliers. If they perform well enough in the playoffs, they may be able to break out of the Eastern Conference. They were a powerful force in the Eastern Conference in the 2000s. They have been dormant for many years and finally see the hope of rising.

Having said that, what do you want to say about the current Pistons? Welcome to leave a message for discussion.