Pistons Land Respectable Spot in NBA Starting Lineup Rankings

After shocking the basketball world with their historic turnaround last season, the Detroit Pistons have solidified themselves as a team opponents need to worry about. In light of their recent success, the team's core earned a respectable spot in a recent ranking of opening units.

Despite shattering expectations last year, Detroit remained committed to the group in-house this offseason. Trajan Langdon didn't shake things up by making a big splash. Instead, he is hoping internal growth can help get them over the hump.

Between core players getting healthy and new complementary pieces being brought in, things are lined up nicely for the Pistons. Now the question is if they'll be able to capitalize on their newfound momentum in 2026 and beyond.

Pistons barely crack top half of NBA starting lineup rankings

Pistons Cade Cunningha — Feb 12, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) and forward Ausar Thompson (9) chat against the Chicago Bulls during the second half at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | Matt Marton-Imagn Images

Ahead of a new season, the people at Bleacher Report decided to rank all 30 starting lineups in the NBA. The group of Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Ausar Thompson, Tobias Harris, and Jalen Duren barely squeaked into the top half, coming in at No. 15. Some of the teams just ahead of them were the Philadelphia 76ers, San Antonio Spurs, and Atlanta Hawks.

On paper, this these expected starters looks pretty good, especially with four members all making leaps by the year with an established alpha in Cunningham pulling the strings.

Having two bad/non-shooters with Thompson and Duren could cause some problems, however, and Harris is entering Year 15. There's some questions to be answered, but there's a ton of upside here, especially if Thompson even becomes an average-ish outside shooter.

The key things for the Pistons' opening lineup heading into next year is health. One underrated storyline this summer is that Thompson has a fully healthy offseason to work on his game. This added time should result in a step forward in his development, similar to what we saw from his twin brother Amen last season for the Houston Rockets.

As for Ivey, he's had an extended period to get back to full strength after breaking his leg back in January. If he's able to resemble the player he was before the setback, the Pistons could have one of the more exciting young lineups in the league next year.

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