Coty and Tarohn take a look at Pistons candidates for NBA awards this year.
Coty and Tarohn take a look at Pistons candidates for NBA awards this year.
Detroit — The Detroit Pistons played their lone preseason home game, but their return to Little Caesars Arena came with a dark cloud.
The Pistons (2-2) announced ahead of their exhibition game against the Washington Wizards that Jaden Ivey underwent an arthroscopic procedure on his right knee earlier in the day. Although he will start the rehabilitation process immediately, Ivey will miss at least the first four weeks of the regular season.
“It sucks, we all hate to see that,” guard Cade Cunningham said. “I know he will be fine. He is going to come back better than ever. He just has to get some stuff cleaned up. Him not being available takes away from us. We have to all lock in and take another step, as far as filling in that gap.”
Just as Ivey faced a leg injury that ended his season in January, coach J.B. Bickerstaff and his staff now face the challenging task of replacing his contributions. Thursday night’s 119-98 preseason win gave Bickerstaff a glimpse of why he has confidence in his team to replace Ivey’s production.
The Pistons’ projected starting five of Cade Cunningham, Duncan Robinson, Ausar Thompson, Tobias Harris and Jalen Duren helped lift the gloomy mood.
Duren had an impressive start by scoring 10 of his 20 points in the first quarter, which also led to him finishing with six rebounds, three blocks and two steals. He appeared in his second preseason game after missing the first two due to hamstring tightness.
Cunningham, who came into the game averaging 23.0 points on 60.0% shooting, finished with a double-double of 16 points and 10 assists.
“It was good to see the guys get in a rhythm,” Bickerstaff said. “Preseason and training camp for us have been disjointed because of the injuries we’ve had and guys missing games. It was a great opportunity for J.D. to get long and extended minutes, and he played well.”
The starters played nearly the entire third quarter, and the competitiveness took on a regular-season vibe. The Wizards battled back from a once 16-point deficit. C.J. McCollum (17 points) connected on a 3-pointer at the 7:01 mark of the period. His basket gave the Wizards a brief 70-69 lead, but on the Pistons’ next possession, Cunningham’s respective triple helped Detroit reclaim the lead.
BOX SCORE: Pistons 119, Wizards 98
By the end of the period, the Pistons won the quarter 36-29, led by their reserves. Paul Reed recorded 11 points and five rebounds, while Chaz Lanier finished with nine points on 3-of-7 shooting from deep.
Daniss Jenkins (11 points and three assists) proved to be a key reason Bickerstaff believes the current roster can help fill Ivey’s vacancy. He came in for Caris LeVert when the Pistons held a 21-11 lead with 3:19 left in the first quarter. Outside of a bad pass that led to a turnover, Jenkins helped Detroit push its lead to 15 points (33-18) during his first eight minutes of play.
“He was great. He has been great,” Cunningham said. “He has been doing his thing, day in and day out; staying in the gym and working. He makes it hard for people not to notice him; that’s what I love so much about him. He is a great dude — a better dude than a basketball player. He is a guy that you want around. He has taken full advantage of this opportunity. I thought he did great.”
Caris LeVert, who had missed the previous two games, returned to the lineup and provided the Pistons with an additional ball-handler. He played 10 minutes, scoring three points, but helped the Pistons keep their offense afloat with his ball movement.
“Getting Caris out there on the floor allowed us to do some different things,” Bickerstaff said. “Having Isaiah (Stewart) and J.D. (Duren) on the floor, those are things we have been trying to get to but just haven’t. It was important for us tonight to be able to get to them.”
Kyshawn George led the Wizards with 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field and six rebounds. C.J. McCollum added 17.
Notes and observations vs. Wizards
Sasser reveals hip injury: In addition to Ivey, Marcus Sasser was the only other player who did not play against the Wizards. During the game, Sasser spoke with George Blaha and Greg Kelser and revealed that he has been dealing with some tightness around his hip area. Sasser hopes that he is ready to go when the Pistons open their regular season against the Chicago Bulls on Oct. 22.
A subpar night for Robinson: Robinson was the only starter who did not have a solid performance. He struggled greatly with his shot, missing five of his first six attempts. He nailed a 3-point field goal at the 5:40 mark of the third quarter, which led to the Pistons extending their lead to 76-70. He finished with 10 points on 3-of-8 shooting from behind the arc.
A better night taking care of the ball: The Pistons did a much better job of taking care of the ball in their preseason finale. They came into the game averaging the sixth-highest turnover rate at 20.7. Against the Wizards, they recorded 14.
coty.davis@detroitnews.com
@cotydavis_24
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