Detroit Pistons Using 3-Day Break To Regroup Before Lakers Matchup

Through the early portion of the 2026-27 campaign, the Detroit Pistons have faced a relatively gauntlet-esque schedule through two and a half weeks. 

Although the Pistons are towards the top of the Eastern Conference with a 6-2 record, the Motown squad has endured a difficult road to reach this point. During Detroit’s second game of the regular season, All-Star center Jalen Duren went down with a strained right hamstring against the Miami Heat, an injury that the big man is still rehabbing. Shortly after that, the Pistons lost Isaiah Joe to a right hip contusion in game No. 2 against the Philadelphia 76ers, so the team’s bench has been under the microscope ever since. 

But despite those health concerns, the Pistons have battled some of the NBA’s top squads, and they’ve come out no worse for wear in the aftermath of most of those contests. So far, Detroit’s only losses have come to the reigning NBA Champion New York Knicks and the 76ers, who some suggest could unseat the Knicks as the top contender in the East. 

Right now, the Pistons are in the middle of a three-day stretch without a game, so this is the first time that Detroit has had a chance to catch their breath and regroup since the regular season began. 

“You think about the journey we’ve been on already as far as the caliber of teams we’ve been playing against, the amount of travel that we’ve had,” Bickerstaff began after practice earlier today. “This is a great opportunity for us to just be home, be settled, have all our own equipment, our own beds, our own gym time and those types of things. We can get a lot done.”

Since the Pistons have been taking the floor without Duren for the last week and a half, Detroit has sacrificed a bit of their rebounding teeth in the low post. Paul Reed has worked hard to replace JD’s impact on the boards, but the Pistons have lost the rebounding battle more often in recent games than they would have liked to, which can be traced back to Duren’s absence. 

Of course, it should not be a shock to see a team struggle at times after losing their All-NBA Third Team center during the opening stages of a new season. That much could be expected, but the Pistons have still attempted to mitigate that loss as best possible, which was evident during Ausar Thompson’s dominant 17-rebound effort last night against the 76ers. 

Thompson, who has taken it upon himself to crash the glass more aggressively as of late, recorded a double-double in Detroit’s favor against Philly, but the two-man scoring duo of Joel Embiid and Jaylen Brown were too much for the Pistons to overcome. Duncan Robinson, who has been on fire from the perimeter this year, also chipped in with 27 points and seven triples amid the losing effort. 

Now, Detroit will likely offer an update on Duren’s status over the weekend since we’re approaching the two-week point from when his injury initially occurred. The Pistons previously stated that JD would be reevaluated at the two-week mark, so there is a chance that the big man is ready to go when Detroit hosts the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday, Nov. 8 at 6 pm.