The Detroit Pistons evened the series up at one-game a piece on Wednesday night, but with little to no thanks to the bench unit.
Detroit's starters carried the load in Game 2, finishing with 75 of the team's 98 points in the win, and if we're being completely honest, if the team hadn't restablished their identity on the defensive end, the performance from the reserves was a recipe for disaster.
Looking at the bench stats, all eyes immediately shift to the points scored to evaluate the bench unit's performance, but the most telling stat of them all is the fact that every player who came off the bench in Game 2 finished with a negative plus-minus, and that alone won't help the team make the championship push they're hoping for.
Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff finds himself forced to turn every stone in hopes of alleviating the pressure on his starting five.
Detroit's bench is a real concern
Entering the postseason, the biggest concern for Detroit seemed to be fixated on the question marks surrounding Jalen Duren's role as the No. 2 scoring option and the lack of playmaking behind Cade Cunningham.
However, the lack of bench contributors wasn't viewed as a major concern, especially after backup guard Daniss Jenkins seemingly answered the call when Cunningham went down with his collapsed lung.
Through two games against the Orlando Magic, it seems like even with Detroit managing to tie the series up 1-1, the Pistons are entering danger territory where, even if they make it out of the series, they'll have bigger concerns that warrant the doubt they're receiving from outsiders.
The hardest thing to fathom about the disappointing start, though, is the fact that on paper, Detroit has the talent to be one of the most well-rounded teams in the postseason.
Pistons having the bench talent makes it even more of a head scratcher
Taking a glance at the depth chart, having names like Isaiah Stewart, Kevin Huerter, Caris LeVert, Ron Holland II, and even Paul Reed, there's absolutely no reason the team's reserve unit should be their weakest link.
Stewart and Javonte Green have been the most consistent contributors off the bench, and that's saying a lot considering Green has scored 5 total points through the series.
Bickerstaff and his staff will have to find a way to solve this issue, because if they don't, Detroit's postseason hopes could be in serious doubt even if they make it past round 1.
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