Derrick Rose's ankle the latest malady in Pistons' injury-ravaged season

Detroit — In elementary school, there were several students who received awards for perfect attendance, not missing a single day during the school year. Those were the die-hards, the ones who didn’t let a little tummy ache or the beginnings of a cough keep them out of the classroom.

In the old days, there were a few students like that.

In today’s NBA, there aren’t many players like that, who play the full 82-game schedule. Reggie Jackson did it last season, after a tumultuous injury history with the Pistons, including wrist, ankle and knee injuries that kept him out of significant chunks of the previous seasons.

This season, Langston Galloway is the only Pistons player with perfect attendance, seeing action in all 62 games. After that, it drops to 58 for Christian Wood and 56 each for Thon Maker and Bruce Brown — both of whom missed Sunday’s loss at Sacramento.

Derrick Rose, one of the biggest injury concerns entering the season, is at 50 games, and after sustaining an injury to his right ankle on Sunday, his status for the remainder of the season is up in the air. Rose, 31, is one game from matching his total games played last season; he hasn’t played more than 51 games since he played 64 with the New York Knicks in 2016-17, and 66 the season before with the Chicago Bulls.

Prior to that, he hadn't played more than 51 since his MVP season of 2010-11.

The greatness of Rose's NBA career was curtailed by nagging injuries and in this bounce-back season with the Pistons, he’s shown that notions of his career being on the downside are way premature. Rose's 18.1 points and 5.6 assists are his highest since 2012, and he’s one of the bright spots in a season that has the Pistons hurtling toward another losing record and a coveted spot in the draft lottery.

There was no update Monday on the severity of Rose’s ankle injury, but coach Dwane Casey said after Sunday’s loss that he wasn’t in a walking boot and that he was moving around the locker room, which was encouraging news. It's another blow to a season that had promise during training camp, but has spiraled into the abyss.

Injuries have been the Pistons’ bugaboo this season, with Blake Griffin missing the first 10 games after having knee surgery in the summer and playing just 18 games before being shut down after another procedure on his knee. Luke Kennard has played just 28 games and although he’s showing signs of nearing a return, it’s way too late to salvage much from their season.

Holding auditions

With 20 games remaining the focus has to shift to the young players and deciding who will stay around for the rebuild, who can be dealt for other assets and who can be let go.

At times, it’s going to be ugly — not unlike Sunday’s loss, which featured an early 18-1 Pistons lead and a 21-point advantage in the first quarter, ending in a six-point loss to the Kings. Casey has been slow to thrust some of his younger players into too many minutes, leery of putting them in positions where they won't succeed.

There’s some value to that and to playing veterans some, including finding what look to be hidden gems in John Henson and Brandon Knight, both acquired in the trade with the Cavaliers for Andre Drummond. Both could come back next season if the price is right. Casey seems rightly to have determined that Brown isn’t a point guard — and with Rose as the only point guard under contract next season, they’ll have to make some other critical roster decisions.

Can Derrick Walton Jr. and Donta Hall, whose 10-day contracts are expiring early this week, get another longer look? Will Grand Rapids Drive point guard Jordan Bone, who has struggled to find a rhythm when he’s been in a Pistons jersey, get a longer look?

What about Khyri Thomas, Svi Mykhailiuk and rookie Sekou Doumbouya? Can Kennard make a bigger impression when he returns to the lineup?

There are more questions than answers about the Pistons’ rebuild, but the final 20 games can be a petri dish for some lineup experimentation and longer looks. A higher draft pick should provide another talented player to add to the mix, but there’s no guarantee that it’ll be an immediate impact, given the other pieces already on the roster.

Things could look a lot different with a healthy Griffin and Rose as the bannermen for a revamped roster, but the Pistons again will have to hope for good health and some development to get back to the playoffs and not just be first-round fodder.

There’s no award for perfect attendance in the playoffs.

Rod.Beard@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @detnewsRodBeard