
Sunday's game was the first for Jerome since March 25, as a knee injury sidelined him for five games. The Cavaliers' reserve guard showed no signs of rust against the Kings and has scored 20 points or more in 12 games this season. That's double Jerome's total in the first five seasons of his NBA career. While the mainstream conversation regarding the Most Improved Player award has focused on Cade Cunningham, Jerome is one of the under-discussed players whose name should come up more.
Duren and Harris were held out of Saturday's loss to the Grizzlies, with Isaiah Stewart and Dennis Schroder replacing them in the starting lineup. While Schroder's fantasy value is impacted more by Cade Cunningham's presence in the lineup, Beef Stew's value will be raised if Duren cannot play, and he gets another start.
Cunningham returned to the Pistons' lineup on Saturday after missing six games with a calf injury. While the shot was a bit off, he finished one steal shy of a complete stat line. Interestingly, Pistons coach JB Bickerstaff kept Dennis Schroder in the starting lineup, moving Malik Beasley to the bench instead. Schroder (10/2/4 with two three-pointers) was able to preserve some of his fantasy value, and there wasn't much change for Beasley (11 points, three rebounds, one steal and three three-pointers), either. How long Schroder remains in the starting lineup depends on Tobias Harris, who did not play on Saturday due to a heel injury.
Cunningham is back in the Pistons' lineup after a six-game absence, pushing Malik Beasley to the bench. However, that isn't the only change to the starting five. Jalen Duren (leg) is out, resulting in Isaiah Stewart starting his first game back from a two-game suspension. Tim Hardway Jr., Dennis Schroder and Ausar Thompson complete the starting five.
Cunningham (calf) has been cleared to play and will start in Saturday's game against the Grizzlies.