3 of Detroit's major pro teams are on the upswing. Are the Pistons finally next?

If we were to rank Detroit’s four major pro teams by their rebuilding status, we’d begin with the Lions, who have a real chance to win their division for the first time since 1993. We’d follow with the Red Wings, who aren’t likely to win their division this season, but have started 5-1 and look like a playoff-worthy team for the first time in nine years.

Whether they get there or not is to be determined. But the Wings are creating buzz.

The Tigers would be next, despite another sub-.500 finish this past season. They won a few more games than expected and finally look like they have a plan.

And then we have the Pistons, who tip off their season tonight, who aren’t expected to push for a playoff spot but have an interesting group of young players along with a new coach.

Most critically, they have their franchise player back healthy. At least they hope Cade Cunningham is their franchise player.

If nothing else, he’ll get the chance to show that he can eventually be that. His storyline is the most compelling when the Pistons take the court tonight in Miami. For without a star to hold the center, NBA teams go nowhere.

There are other storylines that intrigue, Monty Williams’ coaching style among them. Williams arrives with a sharp resume based on a couple of sturdy rebuilds. He has a knack for developing players and his best teams displayed toughness and effort defensively.

That’ll be his first charge with these young Pistons, to get them connected — and consistently committed — on that end. Troy Weaver talked about the defensive emphasis during the team’s media day in early October.

"If you watched us play, we competed in a lot of games but we didn’t have enough discipline, sustaining what it took to win games,” said the Pistons general manager. “That dripped into our defense and that’s a big part of our development."

Perhaps the biggest part of the team’s development. The Pistons were among the worst defensive teams in the league last season. And while it’s easy to dismiss Weaver’s belief in defense as too old school, or too out of touch with today’s skill-based, space-and-shoot game, the numbers back him up …

… in part.

No team has won the title in the last half decade without a top-10 defense. And most title teams are stingier than that. Ask Steve Kerr why his Golden State Warriors are four-time champs, and he’ll tell you Steph Curry.

And Kevin Durant.

And Klay Thompson.

Yeah, a team needs big-time bucker getters. But the Warriors don’t win any of their titles without Draymond Green, or Thompson’s pre-injury all-league defense, or the myriad other role players who defended and rebounded and help stymie offenses.

Every season, a few teams rise up a bit fueled by offense. But they never go anywhere real if they can’t get stops. This doesn’t mean franchises have to only build their roster around defensive-minded players. That doesn’t work, either.

But it’s hard to win if a team can’t get stops, especially in the fourth quarter, which is why Weaver drafted Ausar Thompson, why the rookie wing has likely earned a starting spot tonight — or at least one of the reasons; he rebounds and passes and connects offensively, too — and why Williams desperately wants Isaiah Stewart to make enough 3s to stay on the floor with Jalen Duren.

The team needs his defense, as well.

Stewart’s development on the offensive end is another intriguing storyline. If he can shoot a respectable clip from deep, he’ll allow Williams to stack the floor with his best defensive-minded lineup in Cunningham, Thompson, Duren and Stewart. If Jaden Ivey improves even a little on that end, he could easily be the fifth piece of what could be a solid closing group.

Even if he doesn’t, as long as Stewart can make a few shots, that will give Williams the freedom to play the hot hand for that fifth spot, and he could almost pick his shooter.

When he’s healthy, Bojan Bogdanovic should be that choice. He’s the best shooter/playmaker the Pistons have outside Cunningham. If Williams isn’t feeling Ivey and Bogdanovic isn’t available, he could turn to Joe Harris or Alec Burks or perhaps even Killian Hayes, who at least gives him another playmaker and defender.

He’s got choices.

Lots of them. And how he chooses to award the minutes should up the competitive spirit of the team.

So far, the Pistons have welcomed William’s style and tenor on the court. He is blunt with them.

“I love the way that he pushes us,” Cunningham told the Free Press last week. “He calls things the way that he sees them. That honesty and bluntness toward us, I think that’s huge for us — especially a young team.”

That straightforward energy should help the young roster through another season of more losses than wins. And while one goal may be to push for a play-in berth, the true goal is more ephemeral:

Growth.

Everyone wants to see it: Weaver, Williams, Tom Gores, the players, the fan base. Ownership and the front office understand it’s been a long time since the franchise has looked like it had a viable, long-term plan.

The Pistons don’t have to win 40 games this season to show the plan is moving along. But they do have to show more competitive spirit night in and night out. And the young guys have to show improvement.

That starts with Cunningham, but it would go a long way if Ivey and Duren took another step toward being difference-makers, too. And if Thompson shows even part of the all-court pizazz he showed in Summer League and in preseason, this will only charge up the belief.

Because at this point, that’s what the Pistons can sell: belief. They aren’t playing for a parade anytime soon, or to open the playoffs with homecourt advantage.

Yet a team that shows its headed somewhere can get rolling in exponential ways. Look at the Lions, and now the Wings, which makes this season about setting up the next one.

If the Pistons do that, they’ll join the other franchises in town on the upswing. Wouldn’t that be something?

Contact Shawn Windsor: 313-222-6487 or swindsor@freepress.com. Follow him @shawnwindsor.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Can Detroit Pistons join Motor City sports renaissance this season?