The Detroit Pistons are going to be without All-Star center Jalen Duren for their next two games and key defensive playmaker Isaiah Stewart for seven games after each was handed a suspension for their part in a mid-game fight with the Charlotte Hornets on Monday.
Playing without key front court players, particularly with a tough stretch coming up before and after the All-Star break, isn’t ideal for the Pistons. But, they’ve shown they can weather the difficulty of missing players quite well.
As the top team in the Eastern Conference, most of Detroit’s (39-13) splits are going to be strong, but given the team has dealt with injuries to most of their roster — including Cade Cunningham, Tobias Harris, Duren, Caris LeVert and more — they’ve remained steady throughout.
For instance, Duren already missed eight games this season due to injuries and the Pistons have a 7-1 record in those games. Stewart’s only missed four games to this point, but Detroit owns a 3-1 record in those games.
Player Missed Games Pistons Record w/o Player
Jalen Duren 8 7-1
Isaiah Stewart 4 3-1
Cade Cunningham 6 5-1
Tobias Harris 16 13-3
Caris LeVert 17 13-4
There have been just two games this season the Pistons were missing both Duren and Stewart, against the Chicago Bulls on Nov. 12 and the Los Angeles Clippers on Jan. 10.
The Pistons won that game against the Bulls thanks to a 28-point outburst from reserve big man Paul Reed but lost to the Clippers in a game Cunningham and Harris also missed.
Detroit also lost to the Clippers a few weeks earlier with Duren and Stewart playing.
For the two games Duren will be out, Reed will particularly be called upon heavily to pick up the slack. After Duren and Stewart were ejected midway through the third quarter on Monday, Reed played almost the entire rest of the game and made a big impact with 12 points, three rebounds, two steals and a block in 18 minutes.
Despite only playing in 37 games this season and playing over 20 minutes just seven times, Reed has always been ready to show up for the Pistons. He’s got an argument as the most impactful third-string big man in the league.
The six-year veteran averages 11.8 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists across the six games he’s started this season. Reed figures to start the next two games with Duren absent — likely getting help off the bench from two-way center Tolu Smith.
Even upon Duren’s return, Reed should still have an important role off the bench for a stretch that will include matchups against the top two teams in the Western Conference, the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs.
There’s no doubt the Pistons would prefer to have their two top bigs available, but given how the team has played this season and the options behind them, Detroit shouldn’t be counted out by any means as they manage without them.