The Detroit Pistons have a few valuable fantasy assets on the squad

With the regular season less than two weeks away, the Detroit Pistons offer some intriguing prospects in terms of fantasy basketball players that could make or break a championship team this season. 

Last year, Pistons star guard Cade Cunningham was the team’s clear star with a top 10 fantasy performance, but Detroit has a handful of guys on the squad that can be important stat-collectors at their respective positions. Among those players, Jaden Ivey, Ausar Thompson, Tobias Harris and Jalen Duren are all valuable fantasy assets that could provide quality depth for a team striving to make the fantasy postseason six months from now. 

Here is some further analysis from Dan Titus of Yahoo! Sports regarding the Pistons’ fantasy value: 

Jaden Ivey – G, Detroit Pistons: Ivey's return from injury has reignited his breakout path. He averaged 17/4/4 last year and he'll be the secondary scoring and facilitating option alongside Cade Cunningham. His blend of pace, scoring and playmaking makes him a High Score steal outside the top 100. With increased usage and a 30-point floor when hot, Ivey's poised to deliver the breakout season Detroit's been waiting for.

Jalen Duren – C, Detroit Pistons: Duren’s double-double consistency anchors Detroit’s frontcourt. He's in a contract year and has shown growth as a short-roll playmaker. He averaged an impressive 1.23 fantasy points per minute last season, and as his rim protection improves, that number should only climb in his fourth season.

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So far, both Ivey and Duren have had varying experiences in the preseason. Entering training camp, Jalen Duren was a bit limited due to a hamstring injury, and he’s been held out of Detroit’s two exhibition games so far. As for Ivey, the explosive combo guard coming off a broken leg injury played in the Pistons’ preseason opener against the Grizzlies, though he only played in the first half of that game.

Ivey and Duren were both held out of Detroit’s second preseason game as well, a 117-111 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, but Duren was seen working out and moving around in the Pistons’ open practice held over the weekend. 

As for Ivey, the Purdue product is viewed as a key piece to Detroit’s playoff ambitions after the squad lost Malik Beasley, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Dennis Schroder over the offseason. That trio provided some key scoring off the bench for the Pistons, and Ivey will need to fill that dearth of scoring if Detroit hopes to make a deeper postseason run this year. 

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