With Chris Bosh being out for the season and Brandon Knight leaving the Bucks for Pheonix, the Detroit Pistons are in prime position to lock down a playof spot in the Eastern Conference. It's hard to believe considering this team was 5-23 heading toward the holidays. The team was competitive, but it lacked the killer instinct to finish games. Releasing Josh Smith right around Christmas provided a momentary answer as the team won seven straight games and took down contendors such as Dallas and San Antonio. The star of the show was PG Brandon Jennings, who started thriving seemingly immediatly after Smith was gone. The Pistons went as he did for that stretch of 14 games; if he was firing on all cylinders, so were the Pistons. 

All of a sudden, Jennings went down, and the Pistons' season looked bleak. Backup D.J. Augustin filled in admirably for Derrick Rose in Chicago last season, but it didn't seem as if he could keep the ball rolling in Jenning's absence. Nonetheless, the team has kept its head above water while Stan Van Gundy and Jeff Bowers have pulled off clever front office moves to help push the team forward. Just two hours before the trade deadline, it seemed as if Detroit would sit still, but, all of a sudden, they were involved with a three-team deal involving the Thunder and Jazz.

Pistons fans keeping up with the deadline madness, which saw over 30 players move teams within the span of 90 minutes, saw some big changes. The Pistons traded two starters and a role player away in return for a familair face and a piece of the future. Tayshaun Prince came over from Boston in return for Jonas Jerebko and Gigi Daltome, while 24-year-old Reggie Jackson was sent from the Thunder for Augustin and Singler. Jackson has backed up superstar floor general Russell Westbrook for three seasons and done well filling in when he was hurt, but now he will get the chance to be a starting PG with Detroit. 

After all of these roster moves, including the signing of veteran John Lucas III from China, the Pistons have a 12-man roster ready to push into the post-season. However, there are four things they have to do to assure themselves a spot. 

1 - Free Throws

Through the highs and lows of this 2014-2015 season, the constant weakness for Detroit has been the charity stripe. They rank second-to-last in the NBA in FT percentage at just over 70. Perhaps the most overlooked stat in all of sports, hitting free throws is absolutely crucial. It can be the difference between a 36- and 39-win season for Detroit, which could be the difference between a #7 seed and barely missing the playoffs. Andre Drummond is a big part of this issue as he has failed to shoot fifty percent from the foul-line this year. The Pistons need to bump that 70 up to at least 74 percent and start converting when they are hacked in the paint. 

2 - Run

The Pistons are 12th in the NBA in fast-break points, but they should be top ten. Jackson has always been good at pushing the ball up the court, and the Pistons are now armed to be an elite fast-break team in the NBA. Players like Kentavius Caldwell-Pope and Jodie Meeks can fly up and down the floor, while Monroe and Drummond have always enjoyed running the floor. Jackson, Lucas and Dinwiddie need to push the ball up the floor for easy layups and open three-pointers. 

3 - Touches for Monroe

Greg Monroe has been the anchor for this team all season. As the only true post-threat on the team, the offense runs better in the half-court when it goes through him. Much like the Gasol brothers and Al Horford, he is a skilled passer out of the post and can attack the rim from different angles. If he is getting the ball in good spots, it will open up opportunities for shooters such as Tolliver and Caldwell-Pope on the perimeter and allow SVG's offense to run in its true form . 

4 - More consistent defense

The Pistons, defensively, have improved this season, but it has been hot and cold most of the year. In spurts, they play lock down defense and get out on the break, but in other moments, it looks as if they are only giving half effort. Van Gundy has rid the team of perhaps its two weakest defenders in Singler and Augustin and brought in Prince, who has always been an ace on defense, and Jackson. The latter has shown a keen ability to use his size and quickness to challenge opposing guards. Anthony Tolliver, although known for being a shooter, has played solid defense thus far, and KCP has come into his own as a physical and aggressive perimeter defender.

Teams are shooting over 50 percent against the Pistons this season, but that number needs to get below 48 in order for the Pistons to make the post-season. The Pistons give up far too many open jumpers and allow their opponents to get into a rhythm. SVG's calling card, aside from three-point shooting on offense, is defense, particularly rebounding. He doesn't emphasize steals and blocks, but Detroit has the mentally invest in defense more than they have. They have shown that, when dialed in, they can be an elite defensive team. If they can continue to focus on that end of the floor, the playoffs are just on the horizon for this Pisotns team, which has seen a tumultuos but exciting season.