After the unexpected and devastating injury news that will keep Jaden Ivey sidelined for at least a month to start the season, Pistons fans began to wonder how JB Bickerstaff will address the absence. Detroit was already low on playmaking beyond Cde Cunningham, to start, and now its secondary creator is set to miss significant time. The Pistons will now have to go back to the drawing board to make up for the lost production.
Bickerstaff mostly ran a ten-man rotation last season. During Ausar Thompson's absence to start the season, and in the brief period between Ivey's injury and Dennis Schröder's arrival, he used a nine-man rotation. Pistons fans can expect the same to start the 2025-26 season.
Projected Starters
G: Cade Cunningham
G: Caris LeVert
G/F: Ausar Thompson
F: Tobias Harris
C: Jalen Duren
While there are different options to go when considering that fifth spot, Cunningham, Thompson, Harris, and Duren are set in stone as four of the five starters. Detroit's fifth starter should be between LeVert and Duncan Robinson. The latter obviously provides more shooting and size, but LeVert replicates more of the things Ivey does. The team desperately needs Robinson's shooting, but LeVert's playmaking abilities and superior defense may be a better fit in the starting lineup.
Key Bench Players
G: Duncan Robinson
F: Ron Holland
C: Isaiah Stewart
Backups that will play extended minutes right away are Robinson, Holland, and Stewart. Holland should get more playing time in his second year now that Simone Fontecchio has departed, and he should even get some time at power forward behind Tobias Harris. Stewart will almost strictly be Duren's backup, but we could see Bickerstaff experiment with more two-big lineups, unlike last season.
Competition for Rotation Spot
G: Marcus Sasser
F/C: Paul Reed
G/F: Chaz Lanier
Rookie Chaz Lanier could see some minutes if he can consistently hit shots early, but he will be on a short leash. Sasser has an easier path to playing time in Ivey's absence, as he provides more pick-and-roll ability, playmaking, and scoring. He has also proven at times that he could be a part of the rotation. There is a real chance that Sasser starts the season as the ninth man in the rotation. Paul Reed, on the other hand, certainly deserves a larger role as he is overqualified to be the third center. That is a good problem for the Pistons to have, though. If Bickerstaff wants to try more double big lineups, Reed could be the tenth player in the rotation.
Emergency Backups
Bobi Klintman
Javonte Green
Green is a good veteran and a solid defender, but he doesn't help the Pistons with their biggest concerns. He is another versatile perimeter defender with an unreliable shot, but the Pistons should feel pretty good about giving him spot minutes in case of emergency. Klintman has a path to play since he provides a different skill set and plays the PF position where the Pistons are short-handed behind Harris. But, he has to show a lot more than he did in his rookie season to earn those minutes.
Two-Way Contracts
G: Daniss Jenkins
C: Tolu Smith
G: Colby Jones
Jenkins should have a guaranteed contract after breaking out in the preseason. He has the potential to be a rotation player on this team, especially after Ivey's injury. He is a possibility to replace Sasser in the rotation or be the tenth man. For Smith and Jones, it would be surprising to see either of them outside the G League all that often.