DETROIT – For the Pistons it seemed to be the injury list that would affect them the most during the 2019-20 season.
With the season already coming to a stopping end due to coronavirus (COVID-19), players like Luke Kennard and Blake Griffin were already in halt due to injury.
READ: Pistons’ Dwane Casey reflects on player development, adjustment to change
Griffin had arthroscopic debridement of his left knee in January and Kennard out due to knee tendinitis.
Before the cancellation of the season, Kennard was originally supposed to return on minute restriction for the game scheduled after the loss against Philadelphia.
“I was pretty much ready to go and already in practice. I was looking forward to it, in Philly we kept hearing stuff of somebody testing positive. Once we got the notification of the season and the Jazz Player (Rudy Golbert) we were shocked and surprised. I was sad because I was about to play but I think they made the right decision," Kennard said.
Currently, Kennard seems to be in the swing of things saying he hasn’t missed a beat and that his knees are one hundred percent.
Griffin on the other hand was still in rehab and recovering.
The six-time All-Star has been doing workouts and was back training in May but is unsure of his status at the moment.
Beyond basketball, the two players have also been very vocal in support of the Black Lives Matter Movement and speaking out along with their teammates.
Kennard attended the protest in Downtown Detroit with Dwane Casey and players like Svi Mykhailiuk and Brandon Knight, Griffin being vocal in support of the movement.
“I think just by the amount of support and amount of people rallying behind this and realizing we have an issue. Our system is flawed and people aren’t being held accountable. Coach Casey has been through an unbelievable amount of racial divide, one of the things that Coach Casey said that when he was a kid that there weren’t many white people supporting the cause and movement. It’s encouraging there’s more people but that doesn’t mean we’re anywhere near the status we need to be. It’s the beginning of change but it’s the very beginning, we have a lot of work to do," Griffin said.