Pistons' Center Depth Gap Is Showing Without Jalen Duren

Detroit has kept winning without its starting center, but the cracks in its big-man depth are getting harder to ignore. Jalen Duren has missed the last seven games, and the Pistons have gone 4-3 in that stretch. He is dealing with a hamstring strain and will be out for at least another two weeks, so the team's answer behind him is being tested every night.

Paul Reed has carried the load, but he has limits

Credit to Paul Reed. He stepped into a starting role and has exceeded expectations, and the Pistons have played well with him at the five. The issue is how many minutes he can absorb. Reed is undersized, and he can wear down quickly when he's banging with bigger centers in the interior. He can also pick up fouls, and foul trouble cuts his minutes at the exact moments a team needs him most.

Here's the thing: a starting center who can't play heavy minutes every night leaves the coach with a hole whenever he sits. That's true even when the starter is performing well. A backup who is good for a few quality stretches can still leave the rotation fragile over a seven-game span, and that's what the Pistons are living through right now.

Sliding John Collins to center is a patch, not a plan

When Reed goes to the bench, Bickerstaff has been turning to John Collins at center. Collins has been mediocre at best since the start of the season. He's been solid defensively, but his offense has underwhelmed. The bigger problem is what the move does to the rest of the floor. Sliding a power forward to the five pulls a big body away from the four spot, and Detroit doesn't have another quality power forward ready to slide in and hold that position. Teams in this spot often find that a short-term fix quietly changes spacing, rebounding and matchups, and the cost shows up in the second unit.

Tolu Smith isn't the answer right now

Depth behind Reed is the real question, and Tolu Smith is the name that stands out. Bickerstaff hasn't shown much belief in him, and even with Duren out, Smith hasn't been part of the rotation. That's a telling signal. When your third-string center isn't getting minutes while your starter is sidelined, the coaching staff is effectively telling you where it stands on the depth chart. The Pistons can't count on a player who isn't getting a look to suddenly become a reliable rotation piece in the middle of a stretch like this.

This is a downgrade from last year

Last season, Isaiah Stewart was on the roster, and Reed was the third-string center. Moving from that setup to Smith as the third option is a significant step back. The health picture also matters. Duren was exceptionally durable last year and played 70 games. This season has gone differently, and hamstrings are notoriously tricky injuries to project. Even after the re-evaluation in two weeks, there's no guarantee Duren returns right away. Teams that plan around a best-case return date often end up scrambling when the timeline slips.

Where a trade could fit

The Pistons have the draft capital to address this without gutting the roster. A couple of second-round picks could be enough to land a veteran or developmental big who can give Reed real relief. Yves Missi, Clint Capela, Goga Bitadze, Jericho Sims and Jay Huff are names that fit that profile. None of them have been reported as available, so treat them as possibilities rather than reported talks. The point is the type of player: a big man who can be trusted for 10 to 15 minutes a night, not a roster spot filled by someone who won't play.

That kind of player matters beyond the box score. Detroit's margin in the standings isn't wide enough to absorb a run of costly losses while Duren is out. Every night the rotation leans on Collins at center or a third-stringer who isn't getting minutes is a night the Pistons give away equity they may need later in the season. The next two weeks will show whether Detroit can survive the stretch with what it has, or whether the front office decides the center spot needs a real answer now.