Jalen Duren has only appeared in two games for the Detroit Pistons, and they’ve managed to scrap and survive without him, but last night showed the challenges they will face against elite bigs when they don’t have their full roster.
The Pistons were missing Duren the first time they faced Philly this season, but the 76ers were without Joel Embiid, which wasn’t the case last night.
Embiid was able to control the glass for the most part, and the Pistons were out-rebounded by seven boards even though Ausar Thompson had an unreal night and grabbed 17 himself.
The 76ers pulled down nine offensive rebounds, which was one of the big differences in a game that ended up being close everywhere else. They got three more possessions than Detroit, and in a close game, that is often the margin.
The Pistons also miss the easy buckets Duren provides, as he gets a couple of lobs and dunks every game, scores efficiently, and most importantly, helps keep the other team off the offensive glass.
Unfortunately, things aren’t going to get any easier for the Pistons, as their upcoming schedule has some brutal matchups at center.
Pistons schedule: Elite centers incoming
The Pistons next face the hated Lakers, who have Walker Kessler at center, a tough matchup for Paul Reed.
Kessler is averaging a double-double while shooting over 70 percent this season, and he’s also one of the best offensive rebounders in the game, averaging over three per contest.
The Pistons will need all hands on deck with Duren out to keep Kessler off the offensive glass.
Detroit then has back-to-back games against the Wizards, who feature a healthy Anthony Davis, a tough cover for anyone. He’s back to averaging over 23 points per game this season while hitting 35 percent of his 3-pointers.
After that, the Pistons have another meeting with the Miami Heat, who they dominated in the first one without Duren, but this is another challenging matchup with Bam and Giannis.
The Pistons then have to play the San Antonio Spurs who feature possibly the best center in the league in Victor Wembanyama, who has killed the Pistons in the three games he’s played against them, averaging 25 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists and 3.7 blocks.
He’s a bad matchup for anyone, but with Duren the Pistons at least have a guy who can push him around in the lane and try to pick up some fouls.
We are now a few days from Duren’s re-evaluation of his hamstring injury, and the Pistons are desperate for good news, as they last night exposed some rebounding concerns that aren’t going away with a tough upcoming schedule.
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