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Jon Leuer injury a cause for concern for the Detroit Pistons

By Travis Gibbs

OAKLAND, CA - OCTOBER 29: Jon Leuer #30 of the Detroit Pistons handles the ball against the Golden State Warriors on October 29, 2017 at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - OCTOBER 29: Jon Leuer #30 of the Detroit Pistons handles the ball against the Golden State Warriors on October 29, 2017 at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The Detroit Pistons could be without big man Jon Leuer to start team training camp. If it happens to be any longer than that, it could hurt this team.

The Detroit Pistons are expecting a big return out of Jon Leuer this season. Before the start of training camp, he experienced a set-back.

Leuer suffered a knee injury and required surgery recently. There will be an update on his progress before the start of training camp.

This is a bit alarming. He nearly missed all of last season with an injury. The Pistons are going to need his production next season.

Detroit Pistons need depth in front court

The front court is the strength of the team because of Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond. However, they can’t play the entire 48 minutes of a game.

Leuer is set to play the reserve role behind Blake Griffin at power forward. Zaza Pachulia and Henry Ellenson are the only two other big men on the current roster.

Ellenson was less than spectacular throughout the summer league in July. This season will likely be his last with the Pistons unless he can prove his worth.

With that being said, Ellenson getting any kind of significant minutes in a reserve role will not mean well for the Detroit Pistons.

Related Story. Three players under the radar going into this season. light

The bench production was a problem last season. Many reasons played into that. One of them was the absence of Leuer.

During the 2016 season, Leuer was a crucial member of Detroit’s bench. He had a career season offensively. Leuer averaged ten points per game that season. He also shot 48 percent from the field.

It’s hard to see Ellenson matching that production or even being reliable enough to start in some games if need be. Leuer started in 34 games that season.

A favorable timetable

It’s never convenient to have a player experience an injury. Considering the timing for Leuer, things could be fine for the Detroit Pistons.

He suffered a meniscus tear and it was operated on this past week. It generally takes players a little over a month to recover from an injury such as this one.

The Detroit Pistons don’t even start preseason games until the beginning of October. If they end up losing Leuer any longer than the timetable above, this could hurt the team.

They will Leuer to be able to make an impact off the bench if this team will go anywhere this season.

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