Tobias Harris names Pistons' X Factor in NBA Playoffs, it's not Jalen Duren
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Tobias Harris names Pistons' X Factor in NBA Playoffs, it's not Jalen Duren originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
It is official. The Pistons are going to have the first seed in the Eastern Conference for the first time since 2007. Coach J.B. Bickerstaff pulled it off after seeing Cade Cunningham go down towards the end of their regular season campaign. Not to mention, Jalen Duren has been an outstanding leader for the squad after getting his first NBA All-Star selection. While they have a lot of talented people on the roster to thank for that, Tobias Harris got real on what their true X Factor is for the NBA Playoffs.
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Harris unveils what will make Pistons scary in NBA Playoffs
The Pistons are a well-oiled machine at the moment. They have steady presence under the glass with Duren, a veteran leader through Harris, a great system because of Coach Bickerstaff, and Daniss Jenkins has also been a revelation at the point guard spot. There are a lot of reasons to root for the Pistons in the NBA Playoffs. Harris outlined that there is one thing that sets them apart from other squads, via Hunter Patterson of The Athletic.
"Truthfully, just these guy. The willingness and ability for them to want to be eager to learn, develop their games and be the best they can be. You get a little taste of winning and you’re just excited every single day you come in the building. So, that’s been great for us," the Pistons veteran said.
All of those intangibles and effort did end up surfacing through numbers for the Pistons. They currently have a +8.1 net rating which ranks third in the NBA. This was largely because Coach Bickerstaff and Duren have been fantastic on the defensive side of the ball. Their defensive rating, which ranks second in the league, is valued at 109.5. The Pistons' offense is also not a slouch, their rating on that side of the court is 117.6 which is still 10th among all teams in the association.
A lot of teams and fans may doubt the Pistons' abilities to pull off a Larry O'Brien trophy run in the NBA Playoffs. But, everyone inside this system believes in themselves enough that they do not let the outside noise affect them.