The Detroit Pistons are rolling in the New Year as the reigning NBA champions Bucks and early pacesetters Golden State stutter through.
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NBA basketball has been more unpredictable than it’s ever been in this 2021-22 season. There’s a ton of drama – both on the court, as well as off it.
There is really no clear-cut favorite for any of the major awards right now. The MVP race has at least 5 viable contenders at the moment in Giannis, Embiid, KD, Steph and Jokic. DPOY winners Rudy Gobert and Draymond Green have been unavailable for long stretches.
The Phoenix Suns have maintained their run at the top of the league on the back of excellent two-way play. But even they have been unable to separate themselves from the field. Their losses to the Warriors reveal a clear chink in their armour.
In the middle of all of this, the Detroit Pistons have suddenly emerged as one of the league’s hotter teams. Jerami Grant, who was having a down season anyway, has been a notable absentee as they’ve gone on a 5-3 run through the first fortnight.
Cade Cunningham has improved his play as expected. But the bulk of their scoring and field goal attempts are spread almost evenly across the team. Saddiq Bey has had something of a resurgence after a torrid couple of months.
Bey has improved his shooting from a dastardly 27.2% to a respectable 37% from 3 this January.
NBA Twitter reacts to the putrid performances by Steph’s Warriors and Giannis’ Bucks
With their 5-3 record, the Pistons stand ahead of the Warriors (3-5) and the Bucks (3-4) this month. While Golden State have been profoundly hit by Steph’s slump, Giannis and the Bucks have suffered some defensive lapses in their losses.
NBA Twitter, as expected, made a note of these proceedings.
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