Detroit Pistons Key To Victory: Paul Reed’s Battle Against Joel Embiid

Riding an active three-game winning streak for the second time this year, the Detroit Pistons are headed for a crash course with the only team ahead of them in the Eastern Conference, the Philadelphia 76ers, later tonight. 

After toppling the Sixers by a 106-93 margin on the road earlier in the regular season, the Pistons have the comfort of hosting the Philly-based squad for tonight’s contest. And although Detroit is slated to take the court without All-Star center Jalen Duren or sharp-shooter Isaiah Joe in the lineup, the Pistons overcame that same challenge against the 76ers just 10 days ago. 

From a Detroit perspective, the Motown squad used Tuesday’s practice session to dive into a few areas that could use some work before facing such a star-studded Sixers team.

“Just cleaning up habits,” Bickerstaff said yesterday. “I thought [Monday] was a game we were able to balance minutes and guys didn’t have to carry a heavy load, so today was a great day to just get on the floor and just clean up some things that we’ve been noticing over the stretch of these first seven games.”

Along those lines, the Pistons have shifted Paul Reed from the bench into the starting lineup during JD’s absence, which is a fairly significant change. Reed has positively impacted the squad’s defense without sacrificing much scoring, but the biggest difference has come in the Pistons’ ability to control the glass. 

As a team, Detroit ranks just 20th in the NBA for snagging offensive rebounds, so the Pistons are leaving a few second-chance opportunities on the table. From a defensive rebounding standpoint, Detroit has performed better with a No. 10 ranking so far, but both of those data points are levels below the type of interior dominance that the Pistons strive to create. 

In terms of grabbing boards, Philadelphia center Joel Embiid is still a highly effective rebounder even if he’s a bit less agile at this stage of his career. Embiid is currently averaging 9.2 rebounds per game through the six contests that he’s suited up for, so Reed will have his work cut out for him later tonight. To B-Ball Paul’s credit, the former Sixer is contributing 6.7 rebounds per night, but he does not even hold the top spot on the Pistons (outside of Duren) since Ausar Thompson is currently grabbing 7.2 boards each night. 

Honing in on Embiid’s impact, the multi-time All-Star big man is logging 33.3 minutes per night, so he’s taking up the vast majority of Philly’s time at the five. So, if the Pistons can figure out how to neutralize Embiid’s impact on the glass, then they’ll go a long way towards piecing together a winning game plan. The 76ers’ backup center, Adem Bona, only accounts for just over 14 minutes per game, but LeBron James has even moonlighted as a small-ball five at various times for Philly. 

Of course, Embiid is still an impactful scorer at 18.5 points per game, so the center matchup between these two squads will factor heavily into the outcome of tonight’s game with Duren still recovering from his strained right hamstring. Reed struggled with just eight points and eight rebounds when the Pistons and 76ers played back in October, so look for a stronger response from B-Ball Paul this time out with tip-off scheduled for 7 pm at Little Caesars Arena.