To those who weren't paying attention, the OKC Thunder came out of nowhere to become the most dominant team in the NBA over the last few years.
To the more keen eye, however, their breakout had been a long time coming, and now they are reaping the benefits of having built a superteam piece by piece.
Now, it appears the Detroit Pistons are resembling a what the OKC did during their early stages of domination.
Pistons taking similar approach to juggernaut status as Thunder did
They've taken the East by storm, starting out 13-2 and rank first in the conference as of Wednesday.
Like Oklahoma City, Detroit is led by a young core. The Thunder have an average age of 25.3, while the Pistons have an average age of 25.9. Their backcourt in particular features Cade Cunningham (24) and Jaden Ivey (23).
Much like the Thunder, the Pistons are set to rely on their two ball-handlers to lead them to a deep playoff run.
While OKC has dominant bigs down low, Detroit has Jalen Duren, who appears to have taken massive steps forward now in his fourth season. He is averaging 20.3 points and 12.3 rebounds per game and is the frontrunner for the NBA's Most Improved Player.
In an age where pace and scoring are king, the Pistons have joined the Thunder by going against the grain. They centered the core of their identity around the defensive side of the ball and are right behind the Thunder in both defensive rating and steals per game.
Detroit has also committed to an inside-out defensive approach by refusing to let up easy buckets. They rank fourth in paint points allowed, not far behind the league-leading Thunder.
This Pistons team is also dominating without a full starting five. Their budding superstar in Cunningham has already missed three games this year, while his co-star Ivey has yet to play this season.
Yet through excellent depth and a commitment to a coach-led culture, they find themselves comfortably atop the conference standings.
Last year, the NBA saw Detroit's return to playoff contention. They got off to a rocky start, however, going just 10-15 in their first 25 games, but turned it around and squeaked into the postseason at 44-38.
This year, they don't look like they are messing around.
Having already registered signature wins against the Celtics, Rockets, Magic, and an improved Sixers team (twice), they have eagerly adopted the role of East Coast bully.
Their trajectory is reminiscent of the Thunder's rise to power from 2022-2023 to 2023-2024, when they went from playoff bubble team to first in the West.
Of course, we know what happened the following year.
At full strength, the Pistons represent a legitimate threat that the Thunder could potentially see in a battle for the Larry O'Brien Trophy come June. They'll have to wait to get their first regular-season crack at the champs, however, as they don't host OKC until February.
By then, the Pistons will have no doubters about whether or not they are legitimate contenders.