The Detroit Pistons eviscerated the Miami Heat tonight in a game that was never close after Detroit jumped out to an early lead behind red-hot 3-point shooting.
The Pistons’ impressive display of shooting and depth was unfortunately overshadowed by injuries to Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson, who both left the game and didn’t return.
The good news is that even with Duren and Thompson out, and Cade Cunningham having a lackluster night, the Pistons still destroyed the Heat, surgically picking them apart and getting more than 60 points from the bench.
Paul Reed was amazing, Daniss Jenkins had a strong game controlling the offense, and starters John Collins and Duncan Robinson combined for 40 points.
The Pistons are showing that their depth is real and that they don’t need to only rely on Cunningham to generate offense. It could be a different guy every night, and it will need to be, especially if Duren and Thompson have to miss any amount of time.
The Pistons can survive with their depth
Obviously, we are all hoping the injuries to Duren and Thompson are minor, and they might be, as Detroit was running away with the game and didn’t need to risk anything further by bringing them back.
Paul Reed stepped in and had a monster game in Duren’s absence, scoring 19 points and adding 11 rebounds and four assists. He’ll be the starter if Duren has to miss time, but after that, things get dicey.
Detroit can go to John Collins for spells at center as they did again tonight, but It's not ideal, especially against teams that feature multiple big centers.
We may see some of Tolu Smith early in the season. We knew Smith would get his shot at some point in the season as the third center but wasn’t expecting to see it in the first week.
As much as the Pistons would miss Duren, Ausar Thompson would be a far bigger blow, as he is the engine of their defense. Thompson wasn’t scoring much tonight, but he was everywhere on defense and added four assists.
Thompson covers a lot of mistakes on the defensive end and makes it easier for the Pistons to hide guys like Duncan Robinson, so losing him for any amount of time would be terrible for Detroit.
The Pistons have always embraced a next man up mentality and are better equipped to do it after Trajan Langdon loaded his roster with guys who can play.
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