Daniss Jenkins finally broke through for 16 points last night to lead the Pistons' bench, but the problem was that other than a Javonte Green 3-pointer, the rest of the backups didn't score.
The Pistons' bench mustered just 19 points, something that has been a theme for the playoffs so far.
Jalen Duren (and now I'm sure Duncan Robinson) have taken most of the heat for some of the Pistons' shortcomings in the first round of the playoffs, but the overlooked bench has been a real problem that is not going away.
The Pistons need someone on the bench to step up against the Cavaliers
The Pistons' bench averaged fewer than 20 points per game combined in the seven game series against Orlando (less than half their season average) and didn't provide much for the Pistons outside of a few bursts by Isaiah Stewart, Daniss Jenkins and Paul Reed.
Kevin Huerter barely played after getting injured and Caris LeVert averaged 2.2 points per game and didn't get off the bench in game seven.
These were the guys the Pistons were hoping to squeeze some points out of, but they've provided nothing so far.
Jenkins has been sure handed off the bench and has given the Pistons another guy who at least takes care of the ball, but he shot poorly outside of game seven, so Detroit will need him to him more open shots, especially when he's out there with Cade Cunningham and gets wide-open looks from long range. Jenkins' 3-point shooting was a massive boost last night, but he'll need to be more consistent.
Isaiah Stewart isn't really counted on for scoring, but he wasn't great in this series. He fumbled the ball around the rim and got lured into some bad fouls. He only played eight minutes in game seven and didn't score.
The Pistons managed to win that series without getting much from their bench, but that won't be the case in the next round.
The Pistons will have to score more points to beat Cleveland
Orlando was 15th in the NBA in points per game this season and mostly shot the ball horribly against Detroit in the first round. A lot of that was because of the Pistons clamping down in the elimination games, but a lot of it is that Orlando can't shoot.
That can't be said of Cleveland, who was 4th in the league in points per game this season and has a bunch of guys who can go off for 30.
They also have bench players who can score in bunches, so Detroit will need points from their bench to keep up and not lose ground when their bench players are on the floor.
Outside of Jenkins in game seven, the Pistons didn't get the kind of X-factor game from their bench that they will need to keep advancing.
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