This is the second blog in my new weekly series, In Their Bag, Bag Lookin Shallow, No Bag. In this series, we highlight a player or team excelling (In Their Bag), a player or team facing uncertainty (Bag Looking Shallow), and a player or team experiencing significant problems (No Bag).

In Their Bag

Detroit Pistons

The Detroit Pistons are in the middle of one of the most impressive turnarounds in NBA history. Just two seasons ago, they finished with 14 wins and were one loss away from having the longest losing streak in NBA history. Fast forward to today, the Pistons already have more wins through just the first month of the season than they did for the entire season two years ago. And at the helm of it all, it’s of course Cade Cunningham. This year, Cade is posting career bests in points, rebounds, and assists per game while tying his career bests in blocks and steals. However, unlike past years, the Pistons haven’t been all about Cade. The Pistons’ starting center, Jalen Duren, is having a breakout season thus far and is looking like the perfect co-star next to Cade Cunningham, he is an amazing pick-and-roll partner for him. Duren has been a beast on both sides of the floor. If we look at Duren’s on/off numbers, he currently leads the Pistons in total plus-minus, and among players who have played more than 100 minutes, he also leads them in offensive rating. Not to mention all the other players who’ve had a significant impact on the team, including Ausar Thompson, Duncan Robinson, Isaiah Stewart, Ron Holland II, and others. The Detroit Pistons are not a fraud, and this isn’t just a hot streak. They are the best team in the Eastern Conference, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.

Bag Lookin Shallow

Warriors

What happened to the Warriors? After they acquired Butler last year, the Warriors went 23-7 in games he played. This year, the Warriors have a record of 11-10 and have been playing mediocre basketball. Steph’s still playing at an elite level, and Butler has been playing as a good number two. The problem isn’t their defense; they’re 7th in the league in that category, but on the other side of the floor, on offense, they’re 23rd. Not a good recipe to be a championship contender. The problem is their spacing. When their team is fully healthy, their starting lineup is: Steph Curry, Will Richard, Moses Moody, Jimmy Butler, and Draymond Green. They have 2 sub-par shooters in Butler and Draymond. This allows the defense to easily collapse the floor on a drive attempt and not have to worry about 2 players on the perimeter. This causes the offense to be stagnant and not consistent. The reason why they are not in my No Bag category is that I believe coach Stever Kerr is capable of making the necessary adjustments to help the team get back on track. Or if things continue as is, I’m sure the Warriors will be very motivated to make a trade to help Steph win a 5th ring.​

No Bag

Trae Young

This actually isn’t about Trae Young not performing well, because he hasn’t even been on the court for the past month. But since Trae has been sidelined, the Hawks have gone 10-5 and just beat the Cavaliers. So it’s fair to say, do the Hawks need Trae Young? Trae’s a big liability on defense due to his frame, and it’s easy for other teams to target him. Causing his teammates to have to make up for him, leaving them even more exhausted on offense. But without Trae, the Hawks’ defense has been sharp, and they’re getting the job done on offense as well. You also can’t forget about Jalen Johnson; you can see the significant improvement he’s made this year, after making a lot of improvement last year. His three-point efficiency this year has gone up by an incredible 8%. You can make an argument that he’s now the best player on the Hawks. Again, I’m not trying to hate on Young, but the signs are there that the Hawks don’t need him anymore.