Detroit, MI – The Detroit Pistons are becoming a team that just handles their business. They’ve already passed the historically low win totals of the two previous years, and the NBA season is just nearing the halfway mark.

After defeating the lowly Toronto Raptors (8-31), the Pistons climbed back above .500 (20-19) and gained ground on top 6 playoff positioning.

The recipe for this victory was similar to a lot of the others — Cade Cunningham going All-Star mode, accompanied by strong veteran performances.

Offseason addition Tim Hardaway, Jr led all scorers with an efficient 27 points, knocking down 7 of 8 threes. And Tobias Harris scored 17 points while grabbing 7 rebounds, but his defense was a positive difference maker as well.

CUNNINGHIM!

Cunningham tallied another triple-double after grabbing his tenth rebound in the last minute of the game. He finished with 22 points, 17 assists, 10 rebounds and 2 blocks, while leading the Pistons with 37 minutes played.

“He (Cunningham) allows the game to come to him,” Bickerstaff stated. “Instead of trying to force the issue he made the simple play over and over again.”

Despite the Cade masterclass, the Raptors still found ways to keep things close. They played a physical and aggressive brand of defense that forced the Pistons into 15 turnovers for 23 Raptors points.

“Things weren’t always going our way,” JB Bickerstaff said. “But we did a great job of not panicking.”

As the season continues, the Pistons have played more and more composed in the big moments of the 4th quarters. That composure along with the coaching of JB Bickerstaff has helped underpin their 11-2 surge the last 13 games.

Buying in to the Pistons?

Fans intrigue with the Pistons has been renewed after a surprising start to the season. Through just over 47% of the season played, they have a .512 winning percentage and currently are the 8th seed. So if the season ended today, they’d be in the NBA’s postseason Play-In tournament with a good chance to advance.

But how did they get here so fast? Obviously the goal is to win games, but with a new front office, coaching staff, and veterans, not many saw this happening before the season.

Even Trajan Langdon had to admit being caught off guard by the team’s success.

“We’re definitely ahead of schedule,” Langdon said. “I don’t think any of us expected this.”

It was evident Langdon had the Pistons on the right trajectory even before the season started. The addition of head coach JB Bickerstaff along with a break out season for star guard Cade Cunningham has been the main catalyst. Especially from a leadership standpoint.

Cunningham was already the unquestioned leader, but under Bickerstaff he’s become an even better leader and basketball player.

Leaders Lead

That combo, along with the team’s success, appears to have Cunningham on the path to making his first All-Star game. With per game averages 24.3 points, 6.6 rebounds and 9.3 assists, he’s proven to be one of the best up and coming players in the entire NBA.

“He’s one of the top guards in the NBA,” Tim Hardaway Jr quipped when asked how good Cade has been in the Eastern Conference.

His play has elevated this team to a place where Trajan Langdon might have to tweak his NBA trade deadline strategy. At one point the plan was to acquire draft capital to assist teams seeking to facilitate a trade, despite having no cap space.

As the trade deadline draws closer do you believe the Pistons should swing big, or pursue draft capital?