Fans of the Detroit Pistons are wondering if we are ever going to see the full team in action.
It’s been one injury after another to start the season, which is one of the reasons they have lost nine in a row and sit at the bottom of the Eastern Conference.
The Pistons aren’t a great team when at full strength (not that we’d know), so having as many as seven rotation players out at the same time has been too much for them to overcome.
Cade Cunningham is already getting worn out, as he is carrying the entire offense, getting trapped on every play and it shows in his shooting percentages, which have dipped into Killian Hayes’ territory.
Aside from Ausar Thompson, there hasn’t been much to be excited about in the 2023-24 season, and the Detroit Pistons will be shorthanded again tonight, with yet another new name potentially joining the ranks of sick and injured.
Is Jalen Duren playing tonight? Pistons injury update vs. Cavaliers
It appeared the Pistons were close to getting some players back, as both Monte Morris and Jalen Duren were listed as questionable earlier in the week, but both have been ruled out for tonight’s game against the Cavaliers.
They will be joined by Bojan Bogdanovic, Isaiah Livers and Joe Harris. Of these three, it looks like Livers is the closest to returning, as we’ve not gotten any updates on Bogdanovic, who is due to be reevaluated any day for a calf strain that has kept him out for the entire season.
The new name on the list tonight (isn’t there always one?) is Marvin Bagley III, who is listed as questionable with an illness.
The ironic thing about two of the four Pistons’ centers potentially being out tonight is that the whole reason Troy Weaver acquired all of these bigs was to take on teams like the Cavaliers (not that there are many teams that use two bigs) and now they’ll likely be forced to go small against them.
If the Pistons can beat the Cavs with Isaiah Stewart as their primary center, that should put the nail in the two-big nonsense for good.
The Cavaliers will be missing plenty of players themselves, as Ty Jerome, Issac Okoro and Ricky Rubio have all been ruled out, while Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland are listed as questionable.
How to watch Pistons vs. Cavaliers
As usual, you can try to watch the game on Bally Sports Detroit if it works, and can listen on 97.1 FM The Ticket. NBA League pass is an available streaming option for those outside of the Detroit market, or you can try a free trial at FUBOtv.