The Detroit Pistons' postseason has been filled with plenty of positives and a handful of negatives that will almost certainly be addressed when the offseason arrives.
Jalen Duren's rough patch throughout the start of the playoffs has been among the biggest concerns for the Pistons through the first eight games, but by no means has the big man been the only issue that head coach J.B. Bickerstaff has been tasked with.
In fact, Duren's lackluster play up to this point has hidden the fact that behind him, Detroit has bigger problems.
Those problems are the exact reason why Bickerstaff and the coaching staff have been forced to weather the storm of Duren's inconsistent play, because behind him, any other pivot could be their downfall.
Isaiah Stewart's struggles leave the Pistons with no other options
Through the course of the regular season, Isaiah Stewart proved to be one of the better backup bigs in the league, offering the Pistons a boost off the bench while setting the tone with his physicality and grit.
Averaging 10.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks in the regular season, the undersized big proved to be the perfect complement in spot starts and extended minutes off the bench.
Since the start of the postseason, though, Stewart's impact has seemingly hit a wall, and what he's offered Detroit in terms of relief off the bench has been underwhelming to say the least.
In 8 games, the Washington product is averaging 4.4 points and 3.0 rebounds, and to say that's disappointing would be an understatement.
And with Duren battling struggles of his own, Stewart's postseason slump couldn't have come at a worse time, considering that if there was anybody the team needed to step up to help navigate the frontcourt concerns, it would be him.
Pistons may need to pivot to Paul Reed
Behind Duren, Stewart is only averaging 14.1 minutes per game, and part of that is due to the fact that when he's on the floor, outside of his rim protection, he's not offering much at all.
Obviously, with Duren playing 31.9 minutes per game, there's not much to spare in terms of backup minutes, but with Stewart's struggles, Bickerstaff may be forced to turn to Paul Reed as some sort of relief, considering the offensive upside he could offer.
In a series against the Cavaliers, Reed's contributions could prove more valuable than Stewart's, at least in terms of offering another offensive option to help alleviate the pressure from Cade Cunningham, who's been forced to carry the weight of the team up to this point.
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