Detroit Pistons season wrecked by injuries
The Detroit Pistons were a playoff team last season. This season is a different story with injuries ruining any chance Detroit had for a repeat performance.
The Detroit Pistons are having one of the most injury plagued seasons in memory. They are not as depleted as the Golden State Warriors, but it is bad. The recent road trip against the LA Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers tells the story.
We are all familiar with the starting lineup for the Pistons. The two guards are Reggie Jackson and Luke Kennard. At forward we have Tony Snell and Blake Griffin, leaving Andre Drummond to man the middle.
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Well, against the Clippers and Lakers the only players from that list were Drummond and Snell. Is it any wonder that the Pistons are struggling to win games? They are 2-10 in the last 12 games and there is not much relief in sight..
The Pistons as a team have missed 121 games through injury; the season is only 37 games old. To make matters worse, the starting lineup has missed 69 of those games.
Jackson has missed 35 games, going out in just the second game of the season. Griffin has missed 19 games in what appears to be yet another season where he can’t get any momentum going due to being hurt.
In addition to Morris, Jackson, Kennard & Thomas OUT at Utah tonight, Blake Griffin is doubtful. Tony Snell (illness) listed probable.
— Keith Langlois (@Keith_Langlois) December 30, 2019
Kennard has missed the last nine games with knee soreness. He is the only potential bright light on the horizon as he is being re-evaluated Tuesday. Snell missed four games at the start of the season which did not seem to impact the team too much. Even Drummond missed two games after the Mexico game due to an allergic reaction.
How is a team expected to compete, even in the weaker Eastern Conference, without their best players able to take the floor?
Luke Kennard will stay back to receive treatment for his knee tendinitis while the Pistons are gone for 12 days. Louis King is traveling. Sekou Doumbouya will join the Pistons once he gets over his illness. Jordan Bone is out with knee soreness.
— Keith Langlois (@Keith_Langlois) December 27, 2019
This NBA season is one of the most open in recent memory. Any team can be beaten on any day. The Pistons were in contention to win the game against the Western Conference-leading Lakers. They were within a single point with minutes to go.
This was without the services of Markeiff Morris, who started in the place of Griffin at the beginning of the season. The problem is that Morris has also been out for a total of six games this season. This has included the past two games during which both Morris and Griffin have been out.
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This has led to coach Dwane Casey going deep into his bag of tricks and starting Sekou Doumbouya at forward alongside Christian Wood. This has been a successful starting combination, but has left the bench stretched thin.
The Detroit Pistons are not currently in a playoff spot and if the recent trade rumors are true, they are giving up on the season. To be considering trading Andre Drummond, who has given his heart and soul to the franchise, is a mistake unless they get a huge haul back for him.
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The Pistons may be doing this so they can feel they have got something out of the season. This is fool’s gold. Getting more players back from injury may see the Pistons move up the standings. However, if they wait this season out and go into the lottery, they are a chance of adding a decent rookie to the mix. Let patience prevail in this injury-wrecked season.