The Detroit Pistons hoped that bench players like Ron Holland II and Paul Reed would break out this season in bigger roles, and that they’d force themselves into more opportunities through their play.
Instead, these two players, and possibly others, will get a shot because of early injuries. Jalen Duren has already been ruled out of tonight’s game with a hamstring injury, and Ausar Thompson is listed as questionable after twisting his ankle.
This is not the way the Pistons were hoping their depth would help them, but they’ll need all hands on deck tonight against a 76ers team that is off to a 3-0 start but will have depth questions of their own after playing the Bucks last night.
Ron Holland II, Kevin Huerter and Paul Reed will need to step up
The Jalen Duren injury is the standout so far, as he has already been ruled out, and the Pistons have precious little center depth behind him, especially on a night when they may have to face Joel Embiid, who put up a 28-point triple double last night.
He also played 36 minutes, so it will be interesting to see how Philly handles his first back-to-back of the season. LeBron James didn’t play last night, so we could see Embiid rest tonight.
If not, the smaller Pistons need to make him work. Paul Reed has to sprint the floor after defensive rebounds, force Embiid to follow him and generally try to wear him out.
That also goes for John Collins and possibly even Tolu Smith, who are all smaller but have quickness advantages on Embiid. The Pistons have a tough cover on the other end, as they have no one with that kind of size, but they have to make Embiid work to balance it out, if he does play.
If Ausar Thompson can’t go, it will likely be Kevin Huerter, Javonte Green or Ron Holland that steps into his spot. Holland had a nice bounce-back game in game two after only playing three minutes in the opener, but he’ll need to adjust his style if he’s being tasked with more minutes tonight.
That means cutting out the dumb fouls and playing more under control, as the Pistons will need to take care of the ball and not create easy run outs for Philly through turnovers.
This is not the way we wanted it to happen, but the backups will be thrust into bigger roles tonight against one of the favorites in the Eastern Conference.
This would be a massive confidence boost if the Pistons can take care of business on the road while missing two starters, so as long as these injuries are minor, we have to look on the positive side and say at least these guys are getting a chance to shine.
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