NBA 2018/19: 5 Most surprising teams at the quarter-mark of the season

Heading into the 2018-19 NBA season, many fans are expecting the Golden State Warriors to become champions once again. The Warriors have four All-Stars, two of whom are former MVPs, and then they added DeMarcus Cousins.

However, the Warriors are currently struggling and it has been good for the league. LeBron James is settling well in Los Angeles while Kawhi Leonard is looking comfortable in Toronto. Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo are legitimate MVP candidates and they are playing on a superstar level.

Teams have been shooting more three-point shots and the offense is getting crazier every night. Defense is still existent but the action is driven by the offense with all 30 teams averaging more than 100 points per game.

And as expected, there are going to be surprised and there are a lot of them, including teams that are playing better than expected. Here are the five most surprising teams at the quarter-mark of the season.

#5 Detroit Pistons

The only major move the Detroit Pistons made during the offseason is hiring a new head coach. They signed reigning Head Coach of the Year, Dwane Casey, who was fired by the Toronto Raptors after another poor playoff performance wherein they got swept in the second round by the Cleveland Cavaliers despite being the number one seed.

Detroit is currently fourth in the Eastern Conference with a 13-8 record and nobody expected them to be in this position. The Pistons have embraced Casey’s offense with Blake Griffin as the point forward.

Andre Drummond continues to man the paint and ball movement has been key. Their defense has improved while the bench has stepped up with Ish Smith, Langston Galloway, Glenn Robinson III, and Zaza Pachulia all contributing.

But the Pistons have been here before as they had a parallel start last season. The only difference is they have been relatively healthy and they have a great coach, as well as a superstar in Griffin.