Jalen Duren (Strained Hamstring) Out At Least Two Weeks

Duren, who suffered the injury in the second quarter of Friday’s game at Miami, popped up on Saturday’s injury report with the hamstring strain. It wouldn’t be surprising if he misses more than just two weeks, as teams often take a cautious approach to soft tissue injuries because of the risk of re-injury.

In addition to being selected to his first All-Star game last season, Duren also earned a third-team All-NBA spot after averaging 19.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 70 regular season appearances (28.2 minutes per game).

The 22-year-old big man, who re-signed with the Pistons on a five-year, $200MM deal as a restricted free agent after what was widely described as a contentious negotiation, missed part of training camp and a few preseason games as those talks dragged on until the start of October.

Duren posted 22 points and nine rebounds in 28 minutes during Detroit’s comeback win over Boston on Tuesday and had four points, six rebounds and three assists in 10 minutes Friday prior to experiencing the hamstring injury.

As Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press writes, Duren wasn’t the only key Pistons starter injured Friday. Small forward Ausar Thompson rolled his right ankle in the third quarter and missed the remainder of the game — he’s officially questionable for Sunday’s contest in Philadelphia with a right ankle sprain.

Despite the injuries to Duren and Thompson, the Pistons cruised to an easy victory over the Heat by showcasing their impressive depth, per Hunter Patterson of The Athletic (free link). Sign-and-trade acquisition John Collins (team-high 23 points, seven rebounds) and Duncan Robinson (17 points) both knocked down five three-pointers, while backup big man Paul Reed contributed 19 points, 11 rebounds and three assists in 26 minutes.

“He plays to his own beat, and I think it’s hard for opponents to catch a rhythm when he is doing that,” head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said when asked about Reed’s unique style. “There are so many things he does, but there’s no person I’ve ever been around that works harder on his game than P Reed.

“You’re seeing that work pay off. We talk about each guy has a role of leadership for this team; he leads by example and by his work ethic.”

Reed and Tolu Smith figure to receive the bulk of minutes at center with Duren out, with Collins an option as a small-ball five.