Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers have already faced some of the Eastern Conference's top contenders from last season through the first few weeks of action. They played twice against the champs, the New York Knicks. They faced the Eastern Conference runner-ups, the Cleveland Cavaliers, once. As for the Detroit Pistons, they were the conference's top seed entering the 2026 NBA Playoffs.
Eight games in, the Pistons are the only team to issue the new-look 76ers a loss. It's hard to call any early game a barometer matchup, but you really couldn't consider the Pistons matchup one due to the fact that Joel Embiid didn't get the nod to play. The Sixers started a 41-year-old LeBron James at center. From Philly's perspective, that game was experimental.
Joel Embiid is on pace to play on Wednesday night in Detroit, which gives the Sixers their true starting five this time around. However, they still can't land a legitimate sample, since the Pistons are still without their All-NBA center, Jalen Duren.
The latest on Jalen Duren
The Pistons diagnosed the star center with a right hamstring strain. He suffered the setback during the Pistons' victory against the Miami Heat back on October 23. Duren appeared in just 10 minutes of action after making his season debut against the Boston Celtics on October 20.
In the opener, Duren posted 22 points, nine rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block. It was a nice reintroduction after he spent the majority of the 2026 offseason in a standoff with the Pistons. Duren is expected to get re-evaluated soon, but he's guaranteed to miss Wednesday's action. That leaves Joel Embiid to face his former teammate, Paul Reed, for the night.
Embiid-Duren showdown pushed back again
Throughout their careers, Embiid and Duren have faced off four times. They haven't shared the floor since February 2025, when the Pistons were finally finding their groove as a team. As for Jalen Duren, his true personal breakout season occurred in 2025-2026, when Embiid missed every matchup against the Pistons.
In 70 games last season, Duren averaged 19.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, and nearly 1.0 blocks per game for the Pistons. He was named an All-Star for the first time in his career, earning All-NBA honors and a strong nod for his defensive capabilities. Embiid has a history of humbling top players, but his lack of availability in recent years has caused that to go away.
Now, we're simply left wondering how a fully-loaded Sixers team pairs up against a fully-loaded Pistons team when Embiid has to go against Duren. Unfortunately, we won't find out in February.
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