The Pistons Are Actually Playing Well, But Their Ankles Are Made of Glass

Underdog NBA just dropped the October 27 injury report, and the Detroit Pistons are once again fighting a losing battle against their own lower extremities.

Jalen Duren is officially out, while Ausar Thompson and Isaiah Joe are listed as questionable. The Sacramento Kings are also waving the white flag on the same report with Keegan Murray and Ben Simmons ruled out, but Detroit’s specific brand of medical luck is the real tragedy here.

Duren being sidelined is a massive blow for anyone holding a ticket on his player props. The guy has been an absolute walking double-double, averaging 18.3 points and 10 rebounds over his last 40 games. When he is on the floor, he is a nightmare for opposing frontcourts.

But keeping him on the floor is becoming a statistical anomaly. According to Fox Sports data dug up by fans, seven of Duren's last eight injuries have been ankle-related, giving him nine total ankle issues in just 137 career games. That is the kind of structural integrity usually reserved for a Jenga tower at a frat party.

Thompson is not faring much better. He is questionable with yet another ankle issue, adding to a growing list of lower-body problems that includes a nasty sprain against the San Antonio Spurs earlier this year that forced him to limp to the locker room.

This is a brutal momentum killer for a Detroit squad that just hung 128 points on the Miami Heat a few days ago. When healthy, this young core actually looks like a functional basketball team instead of a lottery simulator, but they simply cannot avoid the trainer's table.

Bettors will need to pivot quickly to see who absorbs Duren's minutes in the paint and how the market adjusts the rebounding totals. Until Detroit figures out how to reinforce their players' sneakers with titanium, checking their pregame injury updates is going to be a mandatory daily exercise.