The Detroit Pistons and Boston Celtics treated fans to playoff-level basketball last night in a game that might be a preview of the Eastern Conference Finals, as they are clearly the two best teams in the East as of right now.
The Pistons held on for the win, padding their lead to 5.5 games over the Celtics, which is a bigger gap than exists between #2 seed Boston and the #8 seed Heat.
The Pistons have been the best team in the East for most of the season, and given their increasing lead, logic dictates that they don’t need to make a big move at the trade deadline.
But the Boston team they beat last night may not be the one they face in the playoffs (if they meet), and the Pistons have to prepare for that possible future.
The Pistons must assume Jayson Tatum is returning this season
After working out in front of reporters for nearly an hour yesterday, there has been ample speculation that Jayson Tatum’s return may be coming sooner rather than later.
It was assumed that the Celtics star would miss the entire season, and many were calling this a “gap year” for Boston, which has not been the case. They’ve ridden the All-Star play of Jaylen Brown and copious 3-point shooting to the second-best record in the East without their best player.
Right now, it looks like the Pistons can win the East as is. They are 3-1 against the Celtics, recently eviscerated the Knicks, who have been terrible lately, and are 22-6 vs. their conference so far this season.
But Boston with Jayson Tatum even close to 100 percent is a totally different team that will be more difficult for the Pistons to match up with, though this does not mean the Pistons should make a panic trade.
Pistons don’t have to go big at the trade deadline, but they should consider Tatum
If Jayson Tatum comes back, he’ll be by far the biggest addition any playoff team will make this season, as there isn’t anyone of his caliber likely to be traded at the deadline.
Of course, he may not be 100 percent, and working a major piece back into a rotation that has played the whole season without him isn’t always easy. There is some potential that Tatum’s return breaks up the mojo the Celtics have had this season as a team everyone wrote off.
There is also a chance Tatum is just fine and makes the Celtics instant title contenders, so while the Pistons don’t have to try and match his potential impact in a trade, it should at least be a consideration.
That might mean grabbing a big forward at the trade deadline, someone who can defend guys like Tatum and Brown in stretches. The Pistons have surprisingly not used defensive ace Ausar Thompson much on Brown this season, as he does give up some size, so it might be nice to have a bigger body to throw at the Celtics duo.
Most of the real competition in the East is set roster-wise, but Boston could be getting an impact addition that the Pistons have to account for in some way.
