Morten Stig Jensen: Very, very impressed. I've said for a while that even if Boston got the 70% version of him, it's a major upgrade, and honestly, that number was aiming high. Yet, here we are, and he looks like the all-around star that he is. Let's ignore the shooting percentages for now, and instead focus on how he's giving the Celtics exactly what they need. 

Kelly Iko: The Celtics have essentially been a top-five defense all season, but is it possible that, because of his offensive greatness and his extended absence, we actually forgot just how impactful Tatum can be on that end? 

Let’s throw out Friday’s game vs. Dallas, his first game back in nearly a year against a tanking unit. Tatum spent a good chunk of his 27 minutes on Sunday guarding Donovan Mitchell and James Harden, holding them to a combined 1-for-7 from the field. When healthy, Tatum has been a positive defensive presence for Boston, a combination of his elite timing, length and underrated physicality. The offensive consistency will come with more games under his belt, but Tatum’s ability to fit in without causing much disruption should signal danger for the rest of the East.

Iko: I’d give it a 5. We can’t just throw out months of great basketball and focus on a four-game skid, but we’re approaching mid-March, the time where the true contenders begin to separate from the pack. (Hello, San Antonio!) Detroit hasn’t exactly been eye-catching since the break, either, with the NBA’s No. 16 offense and No. 13 defense in that span. 

I’d give more time for the likes of Kevin Huerter to find a rhythm and role, and some easier upcoming opponents (Washington, Golden State, Memphis) should provide a palate cleanse. And what we’ve already come to learn about this Pistons team is well-established at this point.

Jensen: 2. Generally speaking, I'm not nervous about Detroit when looking at them through a regular-season lens. The playoffs, however, is a different story, as the Pistons’ spacing issues are still very, very real. They shouldn't be concerned about a four-game slide now, but should fight tooth and nail to avoid it in mid-April, because make no mistake: They're not as infallible as their record suggests. 

Devine: I’ll say 4, in honor of the length of the losing streak. Detroit fell to three of the NBA’s hottest teams — the post-James Harden trade Cavaliers, the 60-win-pace Spurs and a Heat squad that’s won eight of 10 and owns the league’s second-best point differential since the trade deadline — all on the road. Even the most galling loss — blowing a 23-point second-half lead at home to the 15-47 Nets — came with All-NBA orchestrator Cade Cunningham and All-Defensive menace Ausar Thompson both out of the lineup. (Still not great, though!)

The Pistons’ No. 2-ranked defense will travel, which should keep them rock-steady into the playoffs, and they have a significantly more favorable stretch-run schedule than the second-seeded Celtics; the publicprojectionmodels still have them as the overwhelmingfavorite to finish with the East’s No. 1 seed. One bad week doesn’t scuttle four and a half great months; that Detroit has ranked 22nd in half-court scoring efficiency over the last two weeks, though — and is now down to 18th for the season, though — definitely bears watching. 

Devine: Miami. I want to say the Hornets, on the strength of what’s been the NBA’s second-best offense since the start of December, but I fear we may have entered the “Don’t Sleep on Miami” portion of the calendar. The Heat are 8-2 in their last 10 games, with wins over the Rockets, Hornets and Pistons; rank fourth in defensive efficiency for the full season; and are up to fifth in offensive efficiency since the middle of January, and secondsince Tyler Herro came back after the All-Star break. They’ve still got questions to answer, but they’re just a game out of fifth in the East; if they can avoid the play-in, Bam Adebayo, Erik Spoelstra and just enough offense can be a pretty dangerous combination.

Jensen: Toronto. A plethora of playmaking wings is a recipe for surprise, and with Immanuel Quickley leveling up recently (19.3 points, 6.2 assists, 45.0 3FG% over his last 19 games), the Dinos are looking spry for having been extinct for 66 million years. I still think they need a bit more size to be a real threat, but the return of Collin Murray-Boyles should help. 

Iko: Atlanta. Apologies to Luke Kornet, but I’d like to give the Hawks some love here. It’s a shame we’ve seen Jonathan Kuminga suit up only three times for Atlanta since the trade, but consider this: San Antonio has been the best team in the league since the All-Star break, with a whopping +16.5 point differential. Guess who’s No. 2?  The Hawks, who sit right behind at an impressive +15.1 points per 100 possessions.

They’re playing at breakneck speed, top-10 in 3s attempted and made, and CJ McCollum has been a revelation with poise, veteran savvy and scoring. The final weeks of the season will be fascinating — Atlanta has a relatively light remaining schedule, but so do Miami, Orlando and Philadelphia, the teams directly above the Hawks in the standings. Regardless, this has the makings of a pesky playoff out; athleticism in spades, efficient offensive spread and a sneaky, physical defense. All flats, please.

Jensen: Pistons-Cavs. I want to believe in the Pistons, but I fear they just don't have enough firepower offensively to make a Finals push. Going through Cleveland would require a hefty dose of offensive execution, so I'm curious to see if they can manufacture that, while maintaining their defensive intensity against Cleveland's offensive punch.

Devine: Pistons-Hornets in Round 1. Last season, Detroit was the plucky upstart ending a postseason drought and giving a favored opponent everything it could handle in the first round. It’d be fun to see the roles reversed, with a Pistons team now shouldering the weight of real expectations having to play Whac-a-Mole against an effervescent and overwhelming Charlotte offense — one that, in this framework, would’ve had to slug its way out of the play-in tournament for the right to take aim at the No. 1 seed.

Iko: I need to be in attendance for Cavs/Pistons, hopefully in the second round. The off-court dramatics alone make this a compelling bout, but there’s some serious dark-horse energy to Cleveland — assuming the Harden honeymoon is extended by a few more weeks — to warrant a real threat in the Eastern Conference. Detroit’s brute force against Cleveland’s finesse is a match made in heaven.