Detroit Pistons DVOA, Stats, & NBA Rankings

Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren (ankle) was forced to make an early exit against Charlotte on Wednesday. He sprained his left ankle early in the game, finishing scoreless in eight minutes with three rebounds and one assist. The team announced that Duren will be considered day-to-day. It seems like the talented big man escaped serious injury on Wednesday, but he might still have to sit out some games. Paul Reed entered the rotation on Wednesday and played well at both ends, while Isaiah Stewart could get extra work on Friday versus Atlanta. The Hawks are giving up the ninth-most fantasy points to opposing centers this season, making this a good matchup for Detroit's big men. A meeting with Houston on Sunday is also a favorable spot for them.

The Pistons exercised the fourth-year option on center Jalen Duren on Monday. The 20-year-old averaged a double-double last season (13.8 points, 11.6 rebounds). He also significantly improved his free-throw percentage from his rookie campaign. While the franchise sees potential in Duren, he hasn't logged more than 67 games in each of his first two seasons in the National Basketball Association. Fantasy managers should keep that in mind, although he'll be a consistent fantasy performer whenever he's on the floor during the 2024-25 campaign.

The Pistons exercised the fourth-year option for guard Jaden Ivey on Monday. The 22-year-old is coming off a rough season, where he spent some time coming off the bench. However, he wasn't horrible, averaging 15.4 points, 3.8 assists, and 3.4 rebounds. But fantasy managers have plenty of reasons to be optimistic about Ivey's potential heading into the 2024-25 campaign, considering he's been routinely praised by new head coach J.B. Bickerstaff. He's also missed only 13 games during his NBA career, which is another positive for fantasy managers. That said, Ivey's three-point percentage needs work. The same is true for his free-throw percentage. Yet, the upside is there, so fantasy managers could easily see Ivey surpass his ADP expectations this year.

The Detroit Pistons announced that they have agreed on a two-way deal with forward Cole Swider. The 25-year-old enters this third season in the NBA after playing for the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers in his first two years. Swider has appeared in 25 games so far and averaged 2.0 points in 5.1 minutes per contest. He's only shooting 38.3% from the floor throughout his career right now and hasn't been able to crack a full-time position in a lineup yet. He's not on the fantasy radar right now but he will work to convert his deal into a full contract.

Detroit Pistons forward/center Isaiah Stewart will be used as a center in the upcoming campaign. Stewart started his career as a center but played the last two seasons mostly as a power forward. Now, he's set to feature as a center again, a position Stewart prefers. The six-foot-nine big man is expected to work as a backup behind Jalen Duren. It remains to be seen how Pistons head coach J. B. Bickerstaff splits the minutes between the two, but it's hard to imagine Stewart getting close to the 30.9 minutes he averaged last season, meaning his fantasy stock will take a hit.