Tony Parker to return from 5-game absence Tuesday

For the first time since Christmas Day, the San Antonio Spurs will have Tony Parker in the lineup when they take on the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday.

Parker has missed the last five games and 13 of the team's last 16 outings due to a strained left hamstring he suffered on Dec. 5. He was listed as questionable Monday, but the team announced he's good to go and will start Tuesday.

That means a return to the bench for Cory Joseph, who has emerged as a quality two-way piece while Parker has rested. In 14 starts, Joseph is averaging 13.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists while shooting 56.2 percent from the floor and 44.4 percent on threes.

There's no replicating Parker's offensive game, though, and the team has missed his creativity and the havoc he inflicts upon opposing defenses. In 21 games, Parker is averaging 16.2 points and 5.2 assists with a torrid 51.5 percent mark from the floor and a ridiculous 62.1 percent clip from outside. 

That shooting mark isn't sustainable, but it doesn't need to be. Parker ranks fourth in the NBA in team points created by drives per game, with the Spurs scoring 12 points an outing from Parker's 10.1 forays to the rim, on which he's shooting 57.8 percent.

They'll need Parker at his best to slow down the red-hot Pistons on Tuesday.