Why Detroit Pistons Are Still NBA's Best Despite Quiet Trade Deadline

Detroit—At 38-13 and sprinting toward the All-Star break, the Detroit Pistons have seized the top slot in NBA.com’s weekly power rankings, reinforcing the notion that the league’s best team doesn’t always need a deadline-day overhaul.

“The Pistons suffered their worst loss of the season on Thursday, never holding a lead and getting outscored by 27 points (54-27) from 3-point range by the Wizards,” NBA.com analyst John Schuhmann wrote. “But they blew out the Knicks for the second time just 24 hours later and remain the contender that’s playing the best as we head toward the All-Star break.”

That resilience, Schuhmann argues, is why Detroit sits atop the standings and the rankings simultaneously. The Pistons’ lone move before the deadline was a swap that brought shooting guard Kevin Huerter from Chicago in exchange for 2022 lottery pick Jaden Ivey. While Huerter has logged only 14 minutes across his first two games in Detroit—and just four of those alongside All-Star floor general Cade Cunningham—his 6-foot-7 frame adds length on the wing that coach J.B. Bickerstaff can deploy situationally.

“Huerter is having, by a healthy margin, the worst 3-point shooting season (30.8%) of his career,” Schuhmann noted, “but he does give the Pistons more size on the wing. It will be interesting to see if he gets a real opportunity to rediscover his shot over the final two months of the season.”

Detroit’s next evaluation window arrives Monday night in Charlotte, where the Hornets could preview a first-round matchup. The Pistons already held Charlotte to its worst offensive outing of the season—86 points on 107 possessions—in December, and two more regular-season meetings remain.

With roughly 30 games left, Detroit has ample runway to integrate Huerter, manage minutes and maintain the cohesion that has carried it to the league’s best record. Whether the former Bull carves out a postseason role or simply provides insurance, the front office’s low-key deadline approach underscores a singular belief: the current core, now 38-13, is already built to contend.

Tip-off against the Hornets is set for 7 p.m. ET at Spectrum Center.