Story by
Detroit Pistons: Paul Reed Says He’s ‘Better Than’ 4-Rebound Effort Vs. Nets
- Story by
- Detroit Pistons: Paul Reed Says He’s ‘Better Than’ 4-Rebound Effort Vs. Nets
(IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
Over the last week and a half, the Detroit Pistons have adjusted to life without Jalen Duren in lieu of the 22-year old All-Star's strained hamstring . Now, the Pistons have not had an easy road so far with quality teams on the docket, but Detroit has managed to string together an active three-game winning streak and a 5-1 record overall without Duren.
Despite that relative success, the Pistons have been forced to operate in new ways since Paul Reed has shifted into the starting five while Duren's still on the mend. B-Ball Paul is no stranger to high-leverage, pressure-filled situations after he stepped up in the postseason last year, but Reed did not expect to see his playing time increase so quickly this season.
Advertisement
From a wider perspective, Reed had just moved up the depth chart from the third-string center position to a back-up role since Isaiah Stewart was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies during the summer . So, Reed was already anticipating a larger role within the team's offensive structure, but Duren's early-season injury prompted the DePaul product to stay sharp right off the bat.
On most nights, Duren could be counted on roughly 20 points and 10 boards per game, but that is a lot of production to replace with just one player. So, in terms of his focus points in this extended role, Reed says that he prefers to keep it simple.
"Just go out there and make sure that I'm doing all the little things— recovery, sleep, putting that work in for sure and just trying to make sure I'm saying consistent with those three things," Reed said after practice today .
In order to be his best version on the court, Reed has found value in putting in the right amount of preparation to succeed. Now, since Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff commonly refers to B-Ball Paul as the hardest-working player that he's ever coached, it should be no surprise to hear that Reed remains diligent in between games and practices as well.
Advertisement
Including the season opener in which Reed came off the bench, the big man is averaging 13.4 points and 6.7 rebounds per game for Detroit this season. That's a step up from his production last year, but the Pistons have still noticed a drop-off in rebounding overall since Duren suffered his injury. In fact, Reed had back-to-back games with just four rebounds during the team's three-game winning streak, so there's still room for B-Ball Paul to improve in the low post.
"I know I'm better than four rebounds," Reed said. "I can do better than that, so I just have to go out there and do better. Sometimes it just takes me getting in the weight room, work a little harder and I'll probably come up with more rebounds."
From an offensive standpoint, Reed has unveiled what looks to be an underrated three-point shot in the early portion of the 2026-27 campaign, so it will be intriguing to see if that perimeter aspect remains a part of his game for the rest of the year. Duren has spoken about the possibility of popping threes in the past, but the Pistons shied away from big men launching long-range shots for the most part.
Either way, Reed is set to take on his former squad tomorrow night when the Pistons host the Philadelphia 76ers for a 7 pm matchup at Little Caesars Arena.
