The Detroit Pistons got a mixed update on Jalen Duren’s hamstring injury, and the latest news brings a little optimism without changing the bigger picture.
According to the team, Duren is “making progress in his rehab for a right hamstring strain and has begun on-court activities,” with his status set to be updated again in two weeks. That’s a step forward for a player who was expected to miss time after the injury, but it still leaves his return date up in the air.
Duren hurt himself in the Pistons’ 128-111 win over the Miami Heat on Oct. 23, going down in the second quarter while trying a spin move on Giannis Antetokounmpo. The reaction was immediate: he grabbed at his leg, headed to the locker room, and did not come back.
There was more encouraging movement on Thursday, when Coty M. Davis of The Detroit News reported that Duren went through an on-court workout after practice.
He was doing dribbling drills “while catching a tennis ball with his left.” He also worked with Detroit’s player development staff and took some shots.
Even with Duren sidelined, the Pistons have kept rolling. They’re 6-2 heading into Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers, and head coach J.B.
Bickerstaff pointed earlier in the week to the way “the guys have stepped up,” naming big men Peyton Reed, John Collins, and Tolu Smith. Still, the team clearly misses Duren’s presence.
He has played only two games this season for Detroit, and the Pistons are waiting to get him back to the level he showed last year, when he averaged 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game while shooting 65 percent from the field. For now, the rehab progress is real - but the wait continues.
In Other News...
Jalen Durens Absence Is Testing A Dangerous Pistons Illusion
The Pistons have managed to keep rolling without Jalen Duren, sitting at 6-2 and somehow holding the leagues top defensive rating while he works through a hamstring strain. On the surface, that kind of start can make an injury feel survivable, even minor, but the numbers underneath tell a different story. Detroits offense has slipped without him, and the drop shows up where Duren matters most: points in the paint and offensive rebounds.
Durens value was never just about highlight dunks or raw energy, especially after the club committed to him on a five-year, $200 million deal following the 2026 offseason. He is a major part of how the Pistons create second chances and interior scoring, and his absence has exposed how much of that burden falls on him. His return remains pending reevaluation, and until he is back, Detroit is living with a version of itself that looks sturdy on the outside but a little less complete where it counts. [Read more 🡒]
Pistons Face One Huge Luka Problem Before Lakers Tipoff
After a rough loss to the 76ers, the Pistons are turning their attention to a Lakers team that brings a very different kind of problem to Little Caesars Arena. Detroits offense will again lean on Cade Cunningham and Duncan Robinson, but the bigger question on this night is how the Pistons handle Los Angeles top scorer if hes on the floor.
Luka Doncic is listed as questionable because of lower back tightness, and the Pistons have already started mapping out their defensive answer. Ausar Thompson and Ron Holland are expected to get the first crack at slowing him down, which is easier said than done against a player who can bend a game in so many directions. For Detroit, the matchup may hinge less on scoring and more on whether its young defenders can make the Lakers biggest threat uncomfortable from the opening tip. [Read more 🡒]