The Detroit Pistons have big man depth in spades
Playing without Jalen Duren, Tobias Harris and Isaiah Stewart against the Los Angeles Clippers last night, the Pistons were in clear need of a big performance from a front court player. Detroit opted to start Javonte Green and Paul Reed at power forward and center respectively, but it was Tolu Smith who came in off the bench to dominate the low post despite the outcome.
Throughout the season, Smith has bounced between the Motor City Cruise in the G-League and the Pistons, much like rookie Chaz Lanier, and the second-year big man has enjoyed a hot start when playing with Detroit’s developmental affiliate. So when Smith saw his opportunity arise at home, the 6-11 reserve left his mark on the contest with 14 rebounds and four blocks in the Pistons’ 98-92 loss.
"I just feel like when bodies are down, it’s just a next man up mentality," Smith said after the game. "I think that our culture and our ability to just play with whoever we got, we got a group of dogs just willing to play. So, we’ve all got that winning mindset going out, and we're gonna keep doing this.”
Entering tonight’s game, Smith was averaging a meager seven minutes per night spread across four contests, so his 26 minutes against the Clippers was a considerable increase in both playing time but also responsibility. To that effect, Smith was a more-than-adequate rim protector versus Los Angeles, and the young forward / center had an efficient performance from the charity stripe, going 7-for-8 en route to a nine-point performance overall.
Going forward, it is unclear how much the Pistons will rely on Smith throughout the rest of January. Detroit has a couple days off to rest up before facing the Phoenix Suns on Thursday, Jan. 15, so there’s a chance that any of Duren, Stewart or Harris could be healthy enough to rejoin the lineup. Duren is scheduled to be reevaluated soon, and Harris is expected to be about one week behind JD’s timeline.
Smith’s influential performance against the Clippers might not be a sign of larger things to come immediately for the second-year player, but his quality showing on both ends of the floor show that he can be relied upon. The NBA season is long and at times daunting, and there is no telling when the injury bug will bite.
For Tolu Smith, the two-way forward / center acquitted himself as a dependable option for the Pistons down low if push comes to shove. If Detroit needs a big effort from a big man in a bind, Smith showed last night that he can do the job.
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