Detroit Pistons upcoming opponents will be a better test

The Pistons have been one of the best stories of the NBA season so far.

Detroit basketball is overcoming all preseason odds and expectations after a combination of breakout seasons from young players realizing their full potential, veteran leadership and consistency, and coaches who funnel their players' thought process in such a way that the most important things stay at the forefront of everything they do.CraftedNBA is a basketball analytics group that uses advanced statistics to calculate new metrics under their own roof in order to make them simpler to understand to the average basketball fan.

According to their metrics, Detroit has had the second easiest schedule in the entire league behind just the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Pistons constantly will have to prove themselves with every individual game this season due to just how surprisingly successful the team has been. They've won four of their last five games and knocking off these three superstars would strengthen the Pistons campaign toward silencing those who still think this team is a fluke.

Dec 6, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32) dunks during the fourth quarter against the Houston Rockets at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images | Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images

Jalen Johnson of the Atlanta Hawks

Whether contending teams are simply beating teams they're supposed to be beating since they're so talented or whether their schedules are actually easy is unclear. All Detroit can do is play the games on their schedule and they've won most of them.

The Pistons come home after a five-day break from regular season action where they'll welcome in the 14-11 Atlanta Hawks. The visitors have been missing their franchise guard Trae Young for multiple weeks and the absence has given forward Jalen Johnson to reach his full potential.

The 6-foot-9 five-year forward out of Duke is on an absolute tear this season and the past five games. The Hawks have lost three of their past four games, but it hasn't been because Johnson. The forward collected a triple double in back-to-back games and a double-double in five straight games.

Johnson is a versatile three-level scorer and facilitator averaging 30 points, 13.8 rebounds, 10.8 assists, and 1.4 steals through the past five games. He's averaging 27 points, 10.5 rebounds, and eight assists in the previous two matchups against Detroit this season. The Pistons won both games.

Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics

The Celtics are on a run.

The 15-9 Boston Celtics have won five consecutive games with four of those being against top-eight teams. Jaylen Brown has scored at least 30 points in six of the past seven games. The stretch includes a 42-point explosion against the defensive-minded New York Knicks. The Celtics are beating contenders and it's not something that should be taken lightly.

The Pistons rank highly in most defensive categories and will be hungry for redemption after narrowly missing out on a win against them in their previous matchup. Franchise player Cade Cunningham missed the last of three free throws in the final seconds of regulation to tie the game. The Celtics also snapped the Pistons 13-game win streak.

Cooper Flagg of the Dallas Mavericks

With Anthony Davis' name running through trade rumors recently, Cooper Flagg will have the spotlight going into this regular season matchup. The first overall pick in this past year's draft has enjoyed productive individual rookie season. The 6-foot-10 forward out of Duke dropped 16 points, eight rebounds, four assists, one steal, and just one turnover against a stout Detroit defense.

Flagg is similar to Johnson in terms of offensive versatility. Flagg's length and strength at his size allows him to score from the post or as a bruising slasher. His athleticism and swiftness allows Flagg to take larger defenders off the dribble into sudden and available jumpers.

It's going to take an entire team effort to properly slow Flagg down for years to come and Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff will want to get ahead of that December 18 against Dallas.

Flagg is currently averaging 17.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.3 steals on 47.5% shooting from the field.