The Detroit Pistons are looking like a team that doesn’t need outside belief to fuel it. After a 106-93 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday night, Detroit moved to 3-0 and kept the early-season momentum rolling even without Jalen Duren, who sat because of a hamstring injury.
Cade on the 3-0 Pistons:
— Oh No He Didn't 🤯 (@ohnohedidnt24) October 26, 2026
"We're just staying steady. We're not getting ahead of ourselves. The togetherness is there. We got a great system, we got the best coach in the league"pic.twitter.com/lhP5uAv7vz
Cade Cunningham helped set the tone in a game that leaned on defense, timely shot-making and clean execution. But after the final buzzer, he made it clear that what stood out most was the team’s mindset.
“We're just staying steady. We're not getting ahead of ourselves.
The togetherness is there. We got a great system, we got the best coach in the league,” Cunningham said in his postgame interview, via Oh No He Didn't on X.
That kind of confidence makes sense when a roster has this much continuity. Detroit brought back most of its core from a 60-win season last year, and even with the noise around the prolonged Jalen Duren restricted free agency situation, the group has opened the year looking sharp. The Pistons have shown they can absorb a missing piece and still play their game.
They got a big boost Sunday from the supporting cast, too. Duncan Robinson and Daniss Jenkins combined for 39 points, while John Collins continued to look like a strong fit for the contract Detroit gave him in the offseason. That helped keep Cunningham from having to shoulder everything offensively.
As he said earlier this season, having that kind of help is a “blessing”.
Next up for Detroit is a Tuesday matchup with the reigning champion New York Knicks, who are off to a 0-3 start.
In Other News...
Pistons Just Got A Look At A Matchup Teams May Keep Testing
For Detroit, the most unusual part of the early-season matchup was not just the opponent, but the look it got from the other side. LeBron James started at center for the first time in his 24-year NBA career, a matchup wrinkle that came when Philadelphia and Detroit met in a regular-season game and forced the Pistons to deal with a different kind of frontcourt alignment than the one they expected.
Nick Nurse opened with James in the middle, but the experiment did not last long. James struggled offensively and Philadelphia was beaten on the boards, which led Nurse to put Adem Bona back at center and restore a more traditional setup. For the Pistons, it was another reminder that teams around the league may keep testing the same kind of big-small hybrid look, even if the first answer does not always hold up. [Read more 🡒]
Ron Holland Is Giving The Pistons Exactly What This Team Lacks
Ron Hollands night in Philadelphia fit the kind of role the Pistons have been asking him to grow into. With two starters out and Isaiah Joe forced to leave early, Detroit still found a way to steal a road win over the 76ers, and Holland was right in the middle of it with his defense, rebounding and overall activity. He even drew the assignment of checking Jaylen Brown for stretches and handled it well, while also pulling down nine rebounds and adding four assists.
The shot was not falling, but the rest of Hollands line stood out because it spoke to the broader shape of his development. He looked more decisive with the ball and more willing to make the extra play, which matters for a Pistons team that needs toughness and versatility when the rotation gets thin. On a night when Detroit needed someone to do the dirty work, Holland gave them exactly that. [Read more 🡒]
Pistons Hot Start Just Put Their Summer Gamble In A New Light
Detroits 3-0 start has given the season an early shine, and it has also made the franchises offseason approach look a lot more practical in real time. Even with Ausar Thompson and Jalen Duren unavailable, the Pistons found enough punch to beat Philadelphia, leaning on the kind of internal growth and depth that can sometimes be talked up in July and only proven in October.
Daniss Jenkins was a big part of that against the 76ers, finishing with 18 points, eight rebounds and six assists while helping steady a lineup that has needed role players to step forward quickly. John Collins has been part of that picture too, as Detroits early success has come less from splashy headlines and more from the sort of contributions that can quietly change the tone around a team. [Read more 🡒]