The Detroit Pistons have one half of what a team needs to be a title contender, which is a top 10 defense, but their offense will have to catch up if they are to take the next step as a franchise.
Last year’s champion, the OKC Thunder, had the 3rd-highest offensive rating in the league and were the #1 defense, the only team other than the Celtics to finish in the top five on both sides of the ball.
The Celtics’ hopes of repeating were derailed by an injury to Jayson Tatum, but Boston and OKC have the recipe for a championship, which is being elite on both ends.