Detroit Pistons Reveal Key to Their Historical Turnaround

While "heart" and "grit" are all good answers, they are a bit of a cliche. Of course, the Pistons brought in a new general manager and coach, both of whom deserve plenty of credit, although the real reason is best seen on the court and is very simple.

Spacing.

"That’s one of my first memories from training camp: Just Cade saying to us, like, 'Damn. I didn’t realize the open shots I’d be getting.' I loved hearing that,' revealed Malik Beasley in The Players' Tribune.

Last season, the Pistons ranked 27th in 3-point attempts, 29th in makes, and 26th in percentage, making only 34.8 percent of their shots from deep. They didn't have a single player appear in 50 or more games, shoot over 38 percent from distance. 

This season, the Pistons make 36.2 percent of their triples and are still dead last in makes, although the offseason additions of Tobias Harris, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Malik Beasley have given Cade Cunningham room to work for the first time in his NBA career.

The Pistons, critically, are only going to get better.