Free Throws, Jalen Duren's Ankle, and Ausar Thompson is Back | The Weekly Drive
The Pistons are 4-7, but there is reason to believe they should be even better.
Hey there Pistons fans, welcome back to the Weekly Drive. As the NBA season rattles on, Detroit sits in playoff position behind the strong play of Cade Cunningham. Ausar Thompson has also been cleared for return, but Jalen Duren is dealing with another ankle injury. Lets get into it.
Weekly Game Recaps
Game 8: Los Angeles 103, Detroit 115
Rapid Detail: The Pistons were surprisingly in command for the entire game, leading throughout and by 14 points at the half. There were many factors, but Detroit’s control on the glass was a big factor. The Pistons out rebounded the Lakers 55-37 and edged them second-chance points 22-13.
Game 9: Detroit 107, Charlotte 108
Rapid Detail: Well, that was a frustrating loss. The Pistons did everything right until the last play, allowing Brandon Miller to get an offensive rebound and hit a put back shot at the buzzer to win it for Charlotte. Detroit had 34 assists, limited their turnovers (10), and Cunningham had another triple-double, but the Pistons also hit five of their nine free throw attempts (56%). That’s the difference.
Game 10: Atlanta 121, Detroit 122
Rapid Detail: Cunningham's third-straight triple-double and key block at the end of the game sealed a Pistons victory. Detroit coughed up a 24-point lead, but they did something that was uncommon last season: they fought through things and found a way to win. Maybe a running theme is that the Pistons hit 68% of their free throws (21/31). Not good.
Game 11: Houston 101, Detroit 99
Rapid Detail: Another winnable game for the Pistons, and another series of missed free throws that could have turned the tides of this one. Detroit went 16/23 from the line, including a key miss from Tobias Harris at the end of the game, another frustrating loss. Had the Pistons boxed out on the final play in Charlotte and hit a few more free throws, its possible they would have been perfect 4-0 this past week.
Jalen Duren’s Ankle
We are in uncomfortable territory with Jalen Duren and ankle injuries. Duren came up limping against the Hornets and ended up not playing in the second half, nor for the rest of the week. This isn’t uncommon for the Duren, who now has nine different ankle injuries over the course of of his 137 game career. And while an ankle injury is uncomfortable, what is equally discouraging is that the Pistons looked better without Duren on the floor.
Isaiah Stewart and Paul Reed filled in for Duren, and both give a little more pop to the lineup with their particular skillsets. Stewart is a better rim protector than Duren while also being a higher energy player. Reed has experience filling in for injured centers, doing so many times for Joel Embiid in Philadelphia. Duren has not had an inspiring start to the season, and that may result in some difficult lineup decisions coming up.
Ausar Thompson is Cleared for Takeoff
While typing this edition of the Weekly Drive, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that Ausar Thompson has been cleared by the NBA’s fitness-to-play panel. Thompson has not played since March with a blood clot issue, so this news is incredibly promising for a team that desperately needs his perimeter defense. While there is no firm date of return for Thompson, ESPN noted that he is expected back on the court “in the near future”.
The Pistons may be 4-7, but there is reason to believe that they should be even better than that. Free throws, turnovers, and little things like boxing out have come back to hurt them so far, but the overall product is significantly better than last season. What are your thoughts on the Pistons so far? Let us know and we may incorporate it into the podcast.
Thanks for reading, and see you next week.
Mike
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