Detroit Pistons player not named Cade Cunningham helps team move up power rankings

The Detroit Pistons are at the top of the Eastern Conference standings, and they continue to flex their muscles after a win against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Their success so far this season and in the past week is catching the attention of NBA.com writer John Schuhmann. He moved the Pistons up two spots from number five to three in his latest power rankings.

"The Pistons are without three of their top eight players and, with their loss to the Heat on Thursday, they had lost three out of four games for the first time. But they remain three games ahead of the second-place Knicks after picking up a gritty win in Cleveland on Sunday afternoon," Schuhmann wrote.

"The Pistons’ longest homestand of the season (six games over 15 days) begins Monday with their first of three meetings with the second-place Knicks. They lost their three home games in the first round of last year’s playoffs by a total of six points."

Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham talks to referee Scott Foster. | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Pistons moving up in NBA power rankings

The Pistons are only ranked behind the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder. There is room for improvement for the Pistons, but it remains to be seen what that actually looks like.

On defense, it could be more Isaiah Stewart minutes because he has been playing incredible for the team this season.

"The Pistons’ starting lineup has played 230 total minutes together (fourth most of any lineup in the league), but they lost Tobias Harris to a hip injury on Tuesday and Jalen Duren to an ankle sprain two nights later," Schuhmann wrote.

"Isaiah Stewart makes for a pretty good fill-in on defense (either at the four or the five), and remains the league’s best rim protector, with opponents having shot just 62-for-148 (41.9%) at the basket when he’s been there. The Pistons have allowed just 104 points per 100 possessions in 307 minutes with Stewart and Cade Cunningham on the floor without Duren."

If the Pistons can find a way to maximize Stewart and his minutes, the team could be moving up even more in the power rankings and keeping that number one spot all to themselves.

Pistons are back in action tonight as they take on the New York Knicks in a battle between the top two teams in the Eastern Conference. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET inside Little Caesars Arena. Fans can watch the game on Peacock.