The Detroit Pistons were missing several key players before a mini break in the schedule that has hopefully given them enough time to get back to full strength.
Isaiah Stewart, Tobias Harris and Jalen Duren have all been upgraded to probable for tonight’s home game against the Suns and Cade Cunningham is not listed on the injury report at all, which is fantastic news.
The Pistons haven’t played since January 10th, so should be well-rested for the remainder of their home stand, which also includes games against the Pacers and Celtics.
With a tough 3-game West road trip on the horizon, now would be a great time for the Pistons to rattle off three wins at home with their roster at full strength.
And with the trade deadline approaching rapidly, Detroit has precious little time to waste as they attempt some last-minute evaluation.
Detroit Pistons will soon have big decisions to make
Everyone seems to have an idea of what the Pistons should do at the deadline, and I am sure Trajan Langdon has a tentative plan in mind, but he will use these final games before the February 5th deadline to evaluate his team and for that, he needs them at full strength.
The biggest question is what the Pistons are going to do with Jaden Ivey, who I was hoping would seize the opportunity for a bigger role with so many of his teammates out.
That didn’t happen, and with everyone back, it doesn’t appear as if Ivey’s role will change from what it’s been, which is a guy who is giving them 18-20 fairly inconsequential minutes per game.
I still have hope that Ivey can provide more this season, as he doesn’t look 100 percent, at least not in terms of confidence, and trading him away now would likely be selling low. But failing to trade Ivey would put the Pistons at risk of losing him for nothing, which is not something they want to do.
It would be great if he could at least show some sign of being an impactful bench player in the remaining games before the trade deadline, but if he doesn’t, the Pistons are will have a tough call, though they would still have some amount of team control even if Ivey makes it to restricted free agency.
You also have Daniss Jenkins playing for a full-time contract, and guys like Caris LeVert and Tobias Harris who are trying to show they are more important than just for salary matching purposes in a trade, so there is plenty at stake for the rest of this month.
It all starts with getting everyone back so Trajan Langdon can evaluate his team at full strength, identify the best fits and plan accordingly.