For the Detroit Pistons, there was nowhere to go but up at February's trade deadline.

Even five weeks after ending their NBA-record 28-game losing streak, they were still just 6-43 when Troy Weaver kicked off trade deadline week by sending Monte Morris to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Feb. 7. Since that trade, the Pistons have won six games in five weeks — a third of the time it took to get their first six.

It's a baby step of progress, but progress nonetheless.

Since Weaver shook up the roster, the Pistons have more closely performed like expected in November. With 16 games remaining, Detroit needs just six more wins to surpass last season's win total of 17.

"The guys have always been competitive," head coach Monty Williams said Friday, before the Pistons' 13-point loss to the Miami Heat. "Nobody wants to hear it, but it just takes a lot of time to build the culture you want, the system you want. We’re not there yet, but we are getting our guys used to it.

"I’ve always felt like the longer you’re in a system, the more guys have a chance to be successful."

Here are the key numbers behind Detroit's improvement, which largely is thanks to a turnaround on the defensive end.

THE GOOD SIDE: Detroit Pistons — finally — are showing signs of improvement. Here's what's starting to work.

Substantially improved defense

Defensive rating over the first 49 games: 120.5 (29th in the NBA).

Since Feb. 7 (17 games): 112.8 (16th).

Detroit’s leap from abysmal to average is largely thanks to subtraction. Weaver cleared out many of the Pistons' worst defenders, based on opponents' points per 100 possessions with them on the floor (according to Cleaning The Glass), at the deadline. Joe Harris (+2.7 points), Alec Burks (+3.2), Bojan Bogdanovic (+7.8) and Isaiah Livers (+12.3) were all detrimental on that end, with the latter three comprising a significant part of the rotation.

In turn, many of the Pistons’ better defenders have gained bigger roles. The most substantial increase has been for rookie Ausar Thompson, the most impactful defender on the team at 8.2 fewer points per 100 possessions when he’s on the court. He’s fourth on the roster in minutes per game (30.5) since Feb. 7, a near seven-minute increase from his 23.6 average prior. Isaiah Stewart (-7.6, 2nd-best on the roster) likewise has seen his minutes jump from 30.6 to a team-high 33.4 per game.

The addition of Simone Fontecchio (-5.5, 3rd) has also been a big factor. The 6-foot-8 sharpshooter acquired from Utah on Feb. 8 has capably played both forward positions and given the Pistons a versatile presence thriving with both the first and second units. He’s averaging 29.9 minutes per game, narrowly ahead of Jalen Duren.

Since Stewart returned from suspension on Feb. 27, Detroit’s defensive rating is 110.3 — seventh in the league.

Williams believes the team is executing better as a collective.

“Maybe we’re getting better in the areas we talk about — guarding the ball for two dribbles, having a great weakside presence and the rebounding part,” he said on Friday. “The one thing that could help our defense is our shot selection on offense. It allows for us to get back in transition with much better balance.

“When we look at it on film, we see a great level of competition when we’re out there. Even when the scheme doesn’t work out, guys are putting out the fire with great effort. Our low man on the weakside has been much better, whether it’s a single-side or two-man situation. We’ve worked on that a lot. There’s just so many layers to it. Like I said, we’re not where we want to be, but we are improving. Like I said at the beginning of the year, we just want to get better every month and we’ve tried to do that.”

Better fourth-quarter execution

Fourth-quarter net rating over the first 49 games: -9.1 (28th).

Since Feb. 7 (17 games): +15.4 (1st).

The improvement here is stunning — the Pistons, at least on paper, have gone from the bottom to the top when it comes to late-game execution. The second-place Minnesota Timberwolves are distant, with a fourth-quarter net rating of plus-12.8.

Since Feb. 7, the Pistons have had the best fourth-quarter defense, limiting opponents to 101.2 points per 100 possessions. They’ve also been significantly better at shot-making, with their fourth-quarter offensive rating (116.5, 12th) a near-complete reversal of their below-average performance for most of the season.

Not that that has entirely translated to wins. On March 1, the Pistons outscored the Cleveland Cavaliers by 11 in the final period ... but they entered the quarter trailing by 26. It was a similar story Feb. 14 against the Phoenix Suns — they won the fourth by 14 points only after trailing by 26.

But there've been fourth-quarter-fueled wins since Feb. 7, as well, including back-to-back road wins over the Sacramento Kings and Portland Trail Blazers. The Pistons dominated the fourth quarters of those games by a combined 28 points. Detroit outscored the Chicago Bulls by eight in Feb. 27's 10-point win, the Brooklyn Nets by two in March 7's six-point win and the Toronto Raptors by five in Wednesday's nine-point win.

On Feb. 26, they topped the New York Knicks by six points in the fourth — which likely would have led to a victory had a blatant missed call late not gifted the Knicks a two-point victory.

“Our fourth-quarter defense has been better, that’s helped,” Williams said. “When we do have a high-turnover game, we’ve been able to do something to balance it out, whether it’s fourth-quarter defense or scoring a little bit.”

Cunningham raising the floor

Cade Cunningham's per-game averages over the first 49 games: 22.4 points, 7.5 assists, 4 rebounds, 3.7 turnovers (44.8% shooting, 34.3% 3PT, 85.4% FT).

Since Feb. 7 (17 games): 22.1 points, 7.8 assists, 4.9 rebounds, 2.9 turnovers (45.6%/38.7%/89.6%).

Despite Friday’s underwhelming outing against the Heat (11 points, nine assists, six rebounds. 33% shooting), Cunningham has been among the NBA’s better scorers for more than a month. The biggest improvement is in his 3-point shooting — he’s beginning to live up to the promise he showed in college, when he knocked down 40% of his 3s in his lone year at Oklahoma State.

He has also improved as a playmaker, dishing out slightly more assists while dropping his turnovers by nearly one per game. The third-year guard is playing his best basketball yet, and Detroit’s recent record reflects that.

Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him @omarisankofa.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Pistons' moves paying off with defense, fourth quarters