Over the past few years, the Detroit Pistons have been working hard trying to build a core of young talent that can lead them into the future. Following a historic 2025 season, the group of talent is starting to garner proper league-wide recognition.
The Pistons’ roster is littered with former lottery picks. Cade Cunningham is the most notable, who was taken first overall back in 2021. Other top-five selections include Jaden Ivey, Ausar Thompson, and Ron Holland.
After posting the NBA’s worst record in 2024, many felt the current iteration of the Pistons didn’t have enough potential and that Detroit should start over with its rebuild. However, following an array of changes across various levels of the organization, they proved they have the talent to get the franchise back to a competitive state.
Following a season where they tripled their win total, the Pistons’ core now faces expectations of remaining in the hunt in the Eastern Conference.
Oct 16, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) warms up before their game against the Washington Wizards at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images / Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images
Ahead of the 2026 season, the people at The Ringer put out their first edition of their top 100 player rankings. The Pistons ended up being one of the more featured teams, having four players make the cut.
As expected, Cunningham was Detroit’s highest-ranked player after his All-NBA campaign last season. He just missed the top ten, coming in at No. 13. Some of the talents placed ahead of him were Anthony Davis, LeBron James, and Kevin Durant.
Oct 16, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren (0) dunks the ball against the Washington Wizards in the first quarter at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images / Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images
The final three Pistons on the list find themselves ranked much closer together. Next up for Detroit was Jalen Duren, who came in at No. 83. Still in the early stages of his development, he has already established himself as a hyper-athletic big man and nightly double-double threat. If Duren can continue to grow his game, he has a chance to be a high-level talent at the center position.
Eight spots down from Duren at No. 91 is Pistons forward Ausar Thompson. Since being drafted fifth overall in 2023, he has proven to be a viable do-it-all forward at the NBA level. Poised for what many believe could be a breakout campaign, Thompson has a chance to climb up this list when it gets updated in a couple of months.
Capping things off at No. 100 is Jaden Ivey. The Pistons guard was putting together a career year in 2025, but it ended up being cut short due to injury. Now dealing with another setback, Ivey is still working himself back to 100% in hopes of being a key contributor for Detroit in 2026.
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