The Detroit Pistons injury list seems to be piling up, as Isaiah Stewart picked up a strained hamstring against the Boston Celtics. Stewart’s injury is paired with a plethora of injuries to key Pistons players.
Detroit Pistons Injury List Continues To Grow
With only 14 games left of Detroit’s season, their goal would be to improve their record as much as possible. However, they seem to be running into multiple issues, an ongoing trend this season.
In last night’s 119-94 loss to the Boston Celtics, Stewart had to leave the game in the third quarter after spraining his hamstring. Going into the Boston game, Detroit was already missing four key players. Cade Cunningham (knee), Quentin Grimes (knee), Simone Fontecchio (toe), and Ausar Thompson (illness).
The Pistons lacked efficiency on offense, shooting 42.9% from the field, and only 31% from three. Jaden Ivey stepped up to score 21 points for Detroit, but they were lacking firepower as a whole.
Boston was missing Jason Tatum in the game, due to an ankle injury. However, they were still able to put on a very impressive offensive display. Jaylen Brown led the way with 30 points and continues to maintain his impressive form this season.
Derrick White picked up a triple-double for the first time in his career, with 22 Points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists.
Head coach Monty Williams spoke about the Detroit Pistons injury list, and the impact it had on the game:
“When you’re missing that many guys, you have to do something that overwhelms in the stat sheet. We didn’t shoot it well, we didn’t generate enough threes, we didn’t get to the free throw line and we got outrebounded,” Williams explained. “It’s just one of those games where their intensity, their physicality, and the veterans they have on the floor know how to play and you saw it in many stretches tonight.”
What Next?
The Detroit Pistons injury list only seems to get worse, and there doesn’t seem to be much information in regards to timelines.
Cunningham missed the game due to the management of his left knee. It is currently unclear how much longer he will need. The Pistons young star is currently averaging 22.2 points, 4.3 rebounds and 7.6 assists.
As for Grimes, who also has a knee injury, the timetable of his return has not been disclosed. The Celtics game was the third consecutive game he has missed as a result of the injury.
A toe injury put Fontecchio out of action in last night’s game. He could make a return on Wednesday when Detroit goes up against the Indiana Pacers.
Thompson has now missed five games as a result of his illness. The nature of the illness is currently unclear, but he has now missed five games for the Pistons. We know that Ausar deals with Asthma, but it has not been confirmed that this is related.
Stewart went on to pick up his injury during the Boston game and was ruled out not long after. Monty Williams said that Stewart tweaked his hamstring and said that no update would be provided until they got back home.
The Pistons have some tough games coming up as the season comes towards a close, and there is no doubt that they will need their best players to clinch any kind of positive result.
