Pistons season hinges on players no one would have guessed

*Since the writing of this, Cade Cunningham has been diagnosed with a collapsed lung.

If I had told you before the season that the Detroit Pistons’ hopes might ride on Daniss Jenkins, Marcus Sasser, Caris LeVert, Kevin Huerter and Paul Reed, you would have assumed something went horribly wrong. 

But that’s the situation, and the Pistons are still atop the Eastern Conference, so the Pistons are getting it done even though they are currently relying on some unlikely names. 

Jenkins was on a two-way to start the season and only got a shot because of injuries, Sasser has ridden the pine most of the year and only got his shot for the same reason. Huerter wasn’t even on the roster at the start of the season and only recently started playing, yet all of these guys could end up being key in the home stretch and playoffs. 

Who will step up with Cade Cunningham out? What about when he’s back? 

In the immediate future, the Pistons will be missing Cade Cunningham and need someone to pick up the slack, especially when it comes to ball handling and shot creation. 

Daniss Jenkins may get the start at the point tonight, and the Pistons will need him to look more like the guy who was a sparkplug early in the season and less like the guy we’ve seen over the last couple of weeks. 

The Pistons desperately need Marcus Sasser and Kevin Huerter to hit shots, as they are the Pistons’ best options for 3-point shooting outside of Duncan Robinson.  

But to me, the biggest X-Factor is Caris LeVert, the only player on the Pistons’ bench who has averaged 20 points in a season. He hasn’t been right all year, and he’s a guy the Pistons were counting on for production, unlike the other names I just mentioned. 

Can one of them step up, not just in the short term, but in the playoffs when teams are going to throw everything at Cade Cunningham? Secondary creation and scoring will be the Pistons’ biggest question marks, and they are relying on players who weren’t expected to have big roles this season. 

Can Paul Reed make up for Isaiah Stewart? 

Reed has been good off the bench all season, but he’ll have a bigger role for at least the next week with Isaiah Stewart out with a calf injury. 

Stewart’s injury problems late in the season are a concern and probably the reason the Pistons were eager to bring Reed back, as he’s one of the best third centers in the league and a guy they know they can trust. 

Reed will get his shot here, which will likely make him a fashionable trade target this summer for teams looking for big man help.  

But he’s another guy the Pistons weren’t necessarily counting on for much this season, which shows you how quickly things can change.  

There’s no changing the roster now, so the Pistons will need help from unexpected sources to finish the season strong and make a deep run in the playoffs.