Austin Reaves gave Detroit a fresh reminder of why the Pistons were so interested in him.
The Lakers guard, who was reportedly a target for the Pistons during the offseason before Los Angeles kept him on a 4-year/$180 million contract extension, put together a huge night in Detroit on Sunday. With MVP frontrunner Luka Doncic out, Reaves carried the Lakers to a win with 43 points and put the full package on display.
He attacked the rim, knocked down stepback midrange shots and buried pull-up threes. It was the kind of scoring performance that makes Detroit’s interest easy to understand, especially with Cade Cunningham in need of another backcourt creator.
That need is still front and center for the Pistons. They’ve opened the season without another reliable star alongside Cunningham, and Jalen Duren’s injury has only made that more obvious. Duren has not played since the second game of the season and is now expected to miss two more weeks with a hamstring strain.
Reaves, meanwhile, has started the season at an All-Star level. After his outburst against Detroit, he’s averaging over 25 points per game while shooting 51% from the field, 41% from three and 91% from the free throw line. His value comes from how many different ways he can hurt a defense, whether he’s playing next to Luka or handling more of the offense himself.
He’s a dangerous shooter who moves well without the ball, which makes him useful in any setup. But his on-ball game is what really stands out for a team like Detroit.
He can score, he can create, and he’s averaging about 5 assists per game this season. That kind of secondary creator is exactly the sort of fit the Pistons need next to Cunningham.
There is still one concern that follows Reaves from last season: the playoffs. He has not matched his regular-season production in the postseason over the last three years. Against the Thunder last season, he averaged 20 points and 6 assists per game, but shot just 41% from the field and 26% from three.
Those numbers were still better than Duren’s playoff struggles, but the trend is there. Even so, Reaves’ perimeter creation gives him a higher offensive floor than Duren, whose game can be taken away by strong interior defense.
Detroit still needs someone with Reaves’ skill set. Duncan Robinson has been excellent to begin the season, but he doesn’t offer the same self-creation or versatility. The Pistons still have to find a way to get that kind of player on the floor, whether it comes through internal development or a midseason trade.
In Other News...
Jalen Duren Update Gives Pistons Hope With One Big Catch
Jalen Duren is finally back on the court in some capacity, which is a welcome development for a Pistons team that has been waiting on its young center since he strained his right hamstring in the Oct. 23 game. Detroit says Duren has moved into on-court activities as part of his rehab, and the early signs are encouraging enough to include dribbling and shooting work as he builds back toward full basketball activity.
The catch, of course, is that this is still only a step in the process, not a return date. The Pistons have already said they will give another update in two weeks, leaving the next checkpoint as the one that matters most for a team that could use Durens size, energy and interior presence back in the rotation as soon as it is safely possible. [Read more 🡒]
Ausar Thompson Is Giving The Pistons A Tough Rotation Decision
Ausar Thompsons work on the glass has become one of the more intriguing developments in Detroits rotation as the Pistons continue to sort out how they want to play. Against the 76ers, he grabbed 17 rebounds and helped keep the team competitive on the boards even with Jalen Duren out, a reminder that Thompsons athleticism is showing up in ways that matter beyond the box score.
The bigger question for the Pistons is how that skill fits once the roster is whole again. Thompson is averaging a career-high 8.6 rebounds per game, and his presence is giving Detroit a real argument for using more smaller lineups without giving up too much interior toughness. With the team trying to balance added shooting and better spacing against the need to hold up inside, Thompsons rise has made the rotation picture a little more complicated than it looked a few weeks ago. [Read more 🡒]
Pistons Waste A Winnable Night Against A Luka-Less Lakers Team
The Pistons had a chance to bank a useful home win against a Lakers team missing Luka Doncic, and for stretches they looked capable of taking it. Daniss Jenkins and Kevin Huerter gave Detroit a lift off the bench, but the night never fully turned in the Pistons favor as the starting group had trouble finding a rhythm on offense.
Austin Reaves made sure Los Angeles did not waste the opening, pouring in 43 points to carry the Lakers to a 121-116 win. For Detroit, the frustration is less about one bad quarter than the broader pattern of letting a winnable game slip away when the matchup seemed there to be seized. [Read more 🡒]