With the entire Pistons starting lineup out injured last night, Detroit utility man Paul Reed stepped up in a big way to help the team to eight consecutive victories. Reed logged 26 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and four steals in the win, but those numbers undersell the important role that Reed played. 

Hosting the Chicago Bulls at Little Caesars Arena, the Pistons were without its regular starting five (save for Duncan Robinson, who’s only been starting in place of Jaden Ivey due to injury), so Reed was asked to contribute from bell to whistle on Wednesday night. 

Usually a sparse contributor off the bench, Reed opened up his offensive arsenal with a variety of hook shots, crafty post moves and Jalen Duren-esque slam dunks in the half-court. In particular, Reed came alive in the third quarter against Chicago with a double-digit scoring effort that defined his all-around effort in the win. 

“I came in hungry,” Reed said after the game. “I feel like next man up mentality. Everybody that was on the court tonight had something to prove, and we went out there and wanted to prove that we can hold it down and play Pistons basketball.”

The Injury Report Game: Pistons Keep 8-Game Winning Streak Alive With 124-113 Win Over Chicago Bulls The Detroit Pistons were victorious with a far-from-regular starting lineup on Wednesday

In total, the Pistons were missing seven players on the injury report last night, which included Duren and Cade Cunningham, two of the most important forces during Detroit’s winning streak. But regardless, Reed felt that the close-knit unit nature of the Pistons’ locker room was demonstrative in the team’s 11-point win over Chicago. 

“It's the togetherness that we have,” Reed said. “If one guy is down, everybody in the locker room is trying to pick that guy up. And you know, that's not the easiest thing to find. JB has been around the league a long time, pretty sure that he's been around a lot of teams, and he's saying that this team is special for a reason.”

As Reed alluded to, Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff has gone on record mentioning that he feels the current iteration of the Detroit squad is special. Bickerstaff has been in the NBA for more than 20 years, so he’s seen a plethora of teams operate at a high level, so his complimentary discussion of this Pistons team made quite an impression on B-Ball Paul. 

READ MORE: Can Both Cade Cunningham And Jalen Duren Make The All-Star Team?

Alongside Reed, the Pistons benefited from a productive night at the office from point guard Daniss Jenkins, who is currently on a two-way contract. Filling in for Cunningham, Jenkins logged the most minutes of anyone on the court with 40 minutes when the final buzzer sounded, and he contributed in spades with 18 points, 12 assists, four rebounds and two steals. 

“DJ is a great player,” Reed said. “He's been a great player. He's been a dog. He's been hungry, and we all know he was capable of this, but he's taking a lot of steps forward as far as his assertiveness and understanding that he's capable of doing everything that he's been doing. And then it's just good to see coming from somebody who's seen him last year playing in the G to this year really just living his dream right now.”

Jenkins had a strong Summer League showing and he was productive throughout his preseason form, so Jenkins has been patiently carving his role out on the Pistons, and performances like he had on Wednesday night will ensure that his two-way deal is converted to a standard NBA contract before long.

Next, the Pistons will host the Philadelphia 76ers at home in another group stage edition of the NBA Cup on Friday, Nov. 14 at 7:30 pm.

For more information on the latest Detroit Pistons team or player news, follow @EricJRutter on X for continued basketball coverage.