The Pistons’ rebounding picture has changed fast, and it all comes back to Jalen Duren.
Detroit has spent most of the season without its starting center, and the impact is showing up in the numbers. The Pistons were one of the league’s best rebounding teams a year ago, but that edge has faded with Duren out. Paul Reed brings different things to the table, but he does not give Detroit the same work on the glass.
Last season, the Pistons finished 5th in the league in rebounding rate and total rebounds per game. This year, they’ve slipped all the way to 22nd. The drop-off has been even sharper on the offensive boards, where Detroit went from 3rd overall last season to 25th now.
That doesn’t mean panic is the right reaction. Those numbers should move back toward normal once Duren returns and the lineup settles into its natural shape.
But the early-season slide does underline just how much Detroit depends on him. Right now, the Pistons are one rolled ankle away from a real problem.
The issue gets even thinner behind Reed. Detroit was spoiled the last two seasons with a center group that gave it real depth, and even third-stringer Paul Reed last season would have started for some teams. That cushion is gone now.
With Isaiah Stewart gone, little-used reserve Tolu Smith has been pushed into the next spot on the depth chart. That matters more than it used to, because if Reed were to miss time, Detroit would be looking at Smith as the starting center. Yikes.
Smith does have a reputation as a rebounder, but this season he has piled up nearly as many fouls as boards and hasn’t offered anything on offense. If the Pistons had to lean on him for minutes, it would be a serious issue.
So does Detroit need to go get another center? Not yet. At least not based on what’s happened so far.
But if Duren’s injury drags on, it becomes a conversation worth having. Hamstring injuries tend to linger, and the Pistons are living on a razor’s edge with Reed as their only dependable big man.
For now, the rebounding problems should ease once Duren is back. If he misses significant time, though, or if another injury hits, Detroit could be staring at a serious question on the boards with no obvious answer waiting on the roster.
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What stood out most was the way Thompson kept pressing offensively while still looking efficient doing it, including better work at the free throw line. For a Detroit team that has already shown it can compete early, that kind of growth from Thompson gives the Pistons another reason to believe his role can keep expanding even as he continues to work through the usual growing pains. [Read more 🡒]