ICYMI

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The New York Times featured a piece on Blake Griffin and the aftermath of last season's trade to the Pistons:

"With everything we have going on, with a new arena and a new practice facility being built, to me this is a great time to be a Piston. I’m not looking back." --Blake Griffin

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In Case You Missed It: New York Times on Blake Griffin

With a 10-3 record through the first 13 games, the Pistons are off to their best start since the 2005-06 season and writers both locally and nationally are taking notice. Here’s a roundup of where the squad lands in the latest NBA Power Rankings.

"...But the Pistons have had better starts of late and Sunday's win over Miami made them 5-3 in games they trailed by double-digits. It also verified their sixth-ranked offense, which scored 112 points per 100 possessions over their 5-0 homestand. Tobias Harris' improved 3-point shooting is as much about volume as it is about accuracy." Read more

"Best start since going 15-3 out of the gate in 2005-06, en route to a 64-18 record and an Eastern Conference finals appearance against Cleveland." Read more

"Andre Drummond has grabbed at least 12 rebounds in all 13 games this season..." Read more

"Anybody who bought into the Pistons last season and got burned is realizing they were a year early. This group looks a lot how last season's Pistons team should have. It helps that Tobias Harris is shooting 50.6 percent from 3-point range." Read more

"Winners of five in a row and eight of their last nine, it's time to start taking these Pistons seriously. Tobias Harris is playing like an All-Star, Andre Drummond is leading the league in rebounds (15.6 per game) and Avery Bradley has "changed" Detroit's demeanor, says coach Stan Van Gundy." Read more

"Even Luke Kennard is getting in on the fun. This team is deeper than you think." Read more

"The Pistons, winners of eight of their last nine, were 27th when it came to forcing turnovers last year (12.8 per game). This year, they’re Top 5 (16.5 per game)." Read more

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In Case You Missed It: Pistons in Power Rankings

The Pistons selected Luke Kennard with the 12th overall pick on Thursday night and the draft grades are pouring in. Here are five quick reviews of our selection:

Jordan Schultz, Yahoo Sports
The Pistons got an absolute stud in Duke’s Luke Kennard. The misconception around him has been that he’s merely a shooter. It couldn’t be further from the truth: Kennard, with his unparalleled footwork and shiftiness as a lefty, flourishes on and off the ball. He is a creative playmaker – one executive compared him to Manu Ginobili – who finishes well in the lane and will become an effective pick-and-roll guy in time. Perhaps best of all, Kennard converted 44 percent of his 3-pointers as a sophomore last season, displaying legitimate NBA range while doing so. Grade: A+

Jeremy Woo, Sports Illustrated
The Pistons were hoping someone would fall to No. 12 from the top group of prospects, but will be happy to bring in Kennard, who elevated his stock over the past month and is one of the draft’s top three-point shooters. Detroit needed floor-spacers, and gets a tough, intelligent player who should be solid, if not spectacular. Based on what was available, Kennard was a strong choice. Grade: B+

Sam Vecenie, Sporting News
The Pistons were among the worst shooting teams in the NBA last season, so it makes sense for them to add one of the best shooters in the draft in Kennard. He'll also help with their ball-handling/point guard issues, as he'll be able to occasionally slide over and run some offense. An excellent fit here. Grade: A-

Adam Fromal, Bleacher Report
The former Duke standout is a solid athlete, even if he doesn't possess the hops that typically go hand-in-hand with lottery wings. His 6'5" wingspan won't help him on the defensive end, either. But so long as he drills triples, the other aspects of his game--smart positional defense and a knack for secondary playmaking are chief among them--won't matter much. Grade: A-

Reid Forgrave &amp; Jack Maloney, CBS Sports
Smart player, smart pick. A great shooter but not just shooter - he's a scorer. Fits need. Grade: A

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In Case You Missed It: Rounding up Pistons Draft Grades

'“His unselfishness,” (Richard) Carter begins, ticking off a list of qualities that most coaches would consider the components of a perfect player. “His work ethic. His desire to win. His willingness to do whatever it took to get the job done.”'

That’s KCP’s high school coach describing him in a lengthy piece on Fansided.

Check out the entire article to learn more about Kentavious playing basketball in Greenville, Georgia (current population: 976), his quiet personality and his journey to the NBA.

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In Case You Missed It: Fansided on KCP

Pistons.com

In addition to playing well on the court, Tobias Harris looks good off of it. How does he do it? The Crossover on SI.com had a chat with Tobias and his stylist, Eric White on what goes into developing the personal style of an NBA player.

“I try to go with a business casual look. Games are work for me, so having a business type attitude for going to games is important to me.” – Tobias says in the interview.

Read the full article here and then look for our Threads video featuring Tobias on Pistons.com later this week.

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ICYMI: SI Looks at Tobias' Detroit Style

On Friday, February 10, we honored George Blaha’s 40-plus years with the Pistons organization with a special halftime show at The Palace. Watch it below:

Dan Wetzel at Yahoo Sports had a chance to chat with George about Isiah and the Bad Boys, the 2004 championship team (“They were all guys who had their abilities underestimated elsewhere. Then they came together and they found a way to win. Every guy who started for that team was essential to winning”), his favorite moments as a broadcaster, the league today and a lot more. Check out the interview here.

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In Case You Missed It: George Blaha chats with Yahoo Sports

With the Pistons moving to downtown Detroit next season, longtime NBA writer David Aldridge listed some of the most memorable games of The Palace’s 28-year history in his Morning Tip column.

Take a look at his tally, and don’t miss your chance to celebrate the team’s final season at The Palace with the “Best of 7” ticket package, available now!

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In Case You Missed It: Memorable Games at The Palace

“Every time we step on the court, we have to play with a playoff mentality. All 82-games. It has to be do-or-die every night.” – Stanley Johnson.

Our second-year forward was featured in The Player’s Tribune where he shared some thoughts on improving his game, staying accountable and how he and his teammates are constantly working to get better.

Check out the full article at https://www.theplayerstribune.com/stanley-johnson-detroit-pistons-nba/