Despite all the variation in Detroit’s lineup as of late, the Pistons have battled through injury woes to claim a 12-2 record atop the Eastern Conference with an active 10-game winning streak, the longest in the NBA this season.

Although Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff has been forced to juggle his lineup lately, Detroit has been able to succeed with or without Cade Cunningham, with or without Jalen Duren and with or without Ausar Thompson. While Bickerstaff would prefer to have his full arsenal of key players, Detroit has fostered a next-man-up train of thought, and that’s prevailed more often than not through 14 games.

In Bickerstaff’s rotation shuffling, the Pistons have experienced a wealth of success when deploying two big men in the starting lineup. When healthy, Jalen Duren has anchored the post as a lob threat and is steadily adding pieces to his offensive repertoire, and Isaiah Stewart has operated swiftly as JD’s wingman in the paint, guarding the bucket and swatting shots away on defense with a remarkable frequency. 

On Monday, Duren posted 31 points and 15 rebounds in the Pistons’ double-digit victory over the Pacers, and his interior assistant, Beef Stew, added 10 points, five blocks and two rebounds. After the game, Stewart shared his thoughts on the statement he’s helping to make with Detroit’s double big lineup. 

“It shows how connected we are again, how hungry we are and how bad we want it,” Stewart said. “We think we can win any game, any given day we step on that court.”

Pistons Win 10 Straight: Jalen Duren Dominates In Return, Detroit Logs 127-112 Victory Over Pacers Jalen Duren had a monster night in his comeback with 31 points and 15 rebounds

Nobody had a better view of Duren’s dominant double-double than Stewart on Monday night, and Beef Stew shared his take on what he’s observed from the low post next to JD as of late. 

“Nobody wants to stay in front of his big body,” Stewart said. “Him being able to put it on the floor, give you a little bit of this, a little bit of that, just showing us how skilled he is. I'm excited for the future for him because the older he gets, the more years he gets, the game is just gonna continue to slow down. Hm doing this in year four, it's very impressive.”

While the Pistons did not opt to deploy both Stewart and Duren on the court too often in the 2024-25 campaign, Detroit did experiment with that lineup variation the season before that. Now that some time has passed, Stewart is growing back into his role on the floor next to JD, and he spoke about what the difference has been this time around. 

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“More maturity,” Stewart declared. “You know us. Having some years under our belt, not being so young in this league, and having a great system under you know Coach. JB, Just being able to show that because me and him, we always believed me and him on the court together, we cause havoc. I know a lot of guys in the league don't want to face that. So, for it to show and for us to be able to do it in real time, it's such a great feeling.”

Together, Duren and Stewart owned the paint and helped push the Pistons to a 66-48 lead in that department on the night. Look for the Duren-Beef Stew combo to start Detroit’s game against the Atlanta Hawks tonight as the Pistons hit the road for a 7:30 pm tip-off.

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