Cavaliers Second Round Preview: Detroit Pistons

The Cavaliers advanced to the second round of the NBA playoffs by beating the Toronto Raptors in a hard fought seven game series. Their opponent in the second round is their central division rivals, the Detroit Pistons. The Pistons finished with a 60-22 record, good for the first seed in the East. The teams split the season series, 2-2.

Pistons at a glance

Detroit ranked second in the NBA in defensive rating, 10th in offensive rating, and third in net rating. They are in the middle of the pack in terms of pace, but do get out in transition off of turnovers at times. The Pistons rank in the bottom half of the league in terms of three-point attempts per game. What they lack in offensive firepower, they more than make up for with their defensive prowess and toughness. The Pistons were the top team in the league in both steals and blocks per game this season.

Coaching Staff/Front Office

The Pistons are led by a familiar face, former Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff. Bickerstaff has led a major turnaround in Detroit. He took over a team that won only 14 games in 2023-2024 and led them to the playoffs last season. They impressed many by pushing their series against the Knicks to six games. Pistons general manager Trajan Langdon also has ties to Cleveland. He was drafted by the Cavaliers in 1999 and spent three years in wine and gold before finishing his playing career overseas.

Star Players

The Pistons are led by Cade Cunningham. The 2021 first overall pick earned some down-ballot MVP consideration this season. He finished this year averaging 23.9 PPG, 5.5 RPG, and 9.9 APG. Cunningham is Detroit’s primary ballhandler and offensive engine. His only knock may be that he has never shot above 36% from three-point range in any season. Cunningham suffered a collapsed lung towards the end of the regular season, but it did not seem to affect him against Orlando. He finished with 45,32, and 32 points in the last three games of the series.

Jalen Duren is the Pistons second best player. The fourth-year man was a first-time all-star in 2026. He finished with per-game averages of 19.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists. Duren struggled against the Magic in the first round, only averaging 10.6 points per game. He is a very physical player who looks to establish deep post position and punish smaller defenders. It is notable that Duren had some strong outings against the Cavs this year. He had a 33-point, 16-rebound double-double in the overtime thriller in late February. He followed that up with a 24-point, 14-rebound outing on March 3rd.

Role Players

Tobias Harris plays a secondary role to Cunningham and Duren. He did have a strong series against Orlando, finishing with 30 points in the critical game seven. Harris will shoot the three-ball, averaging about three and a half attempts per game.

Duncan Robinson is the Pistons’ best outside shooter. The former Heat and Michigan Wolverine shot 41% from three this season, tops among rotation players for Detroit. He was mostly held in check by the Cavaliers this season. Robinson is not a strong defender, so it would behoove the Cavaliers to target him on offense.

Ausar Thompson rounds out the Pistons’ starting five. He is the twin brother of Houston forward Amen Thompson. Thompson is a rugged, athletic defender. He tied for the league lead in steals per game, averaging exactly two per game. Thompson led Detroit in defensive win shares. While not a shooter, he will act as a secondary ball handler at times. Thompson will spend time guarding both James Harden and Donovan Mitchell in this series.

Bench Players

It is worth mentioning that only eight Pistons played in all seven games against Orlando. Oftentimes, playoff rotations shrink. Isaiah Stewart is Detroit’s primary big man off the bench. Known affectionately by Detroit fans as “Beef Stew”, Stewart is a physical defender and rebounder.

Former undrafted and two-way player Daniss Jenkins broke out in a big way this season. He played in 72 games after only playing in seven last season. He filled in ably for Cunningham during his late season absence, and even had a 30-point, 8-assist game against the Lakers in late March.

Former Cavalier Javonte Green was the only Piston to play in all 82 games this season. He finished with modest statistics but excels at getting out in transition. Another former Cavalier, Caris Levert, was a DNP coach’s decision in game seven of the Orlando series. It remains to be seen if he is a part of J.B. Bickerstaff’s plans against the Cavaliers.

Kevin Huerter was acquired in a trade deadline deal from the Bulls for Jaden Ivey. He has not made a huge impact for Detroit, but could fill a role as a shooter and ball handler. He is currently questionable for game one with an abductor injury.

Summary

This series is a matchup of conflicting styles. The Pistons are a hard nosed, defensive team. The Cavaliers feature a high-powered offense. The games within the games will decide this series. The Pistons like to run a lot of pick-and-rolls with Duren and Cunningham. The Cavaliers guards will have to fight through these screens, as Duren is adept at punishing smaller defenders.

Cleveland will need a strong series from Jarrett Allen if they hope to advance. Allen silenced his critics with his game-seven performance against Toronto. Dennis Schroder could also be an X factor in this series. The Pistons will hound Harden and Mitchell all game, making it critical for them to get some good stretches of rest each half. The Cavaliers will probably hide James Harden on Thompson or Robinson on defense.

It will be interesting to see if Kenny Atkinson continues starting his big lineup with Dean Wade at small forward. The Cavaliers have had success having Wade guard Cunningham. This would allow Mitchell to guard whoever Harden doesn’t, likely a better matchup for him than chasing Cunningham around all game.

This has all the makings of a great series. Both teams have sky-high expectations entering the playoffs, and had to endure seven games series to get to this point. Will the Pistons’ physicality get the better of Cleveland? Will the Cavaliers high powered offense overwhelm Detroit? Tune in on Tuesday night to find out.