The Detroit Pistons will take on the New York Knicks tonight without starting center Jalen Duren, a situation they will be prepared for, as it won’t be the first time.
Duren hasn’t been injured a ton in his career, but every time he is, it feels like the Knicks are on the schedule. Tonight will be the 6th time the Pistons have faced the Knicks without Jalen Duren in the lineup.
Detroit is 3-2 against the Knicks without Duren so far, eviscerating NY all three times last season by a combined 84 points, using different combinations of Isaiah Stewart and Paul Reed.
The Pistons are just 3-6 against the Knicks with Duren, so they’ve won just as many games against New York without him.
The Pistons certainly don’t want to be without their starting center against the defending champions, but the Knicks are a tough matchup for Duren, and the Pistons are equipped to survive without him.
The Pistons are more mobile defensively without Jalen Duren
The real loss for tonight would be Ausar Thompson, as he has given Jalen Brunson fits over the years, so hopefully Ausar (who is listed as questionable) will return tonight.
Duren will definitely be out, so we know we’ll see Paul Reed in the starting five, which may not be the worst thing.
Karl-Anthony Towns has traditionally been a tough cover for Duren, who likes to run straight to the rim on defense, which clears KAT for the trailer 3-pointers that he loves to shoot.
In general, Reed and Collins are better defenders in space even though they are giving up size to KAT.
On the other end, the KAT will have to chase these two around, which could prove difficult for him when the Pistons go small. If Detroit uses Collins at center again, the Knicks will have a tough cover with KAT and Andre Drummond trying to keep up with him.
Without Duren, the Pistons can also throw looks at the Knicks that they are not used to seeing, as Detroit can put 3-4 shooters on the floor around Cade Cunningham, which is something they weren’t able to do last season.
Having more versatile and mobile centers that don’t just play in the paint should be an advantage for Cunningham, who has had some of his biggest games against the Knicks in New York and could be in for another monster performance tonight.
It’s never a good thing to have a player injured, but the Pistons have played well against the Knicks without Duren in the past, so should have confidence that they can do it again.
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