Last week, the Pistons were rising above their injuries to surge to 11-12. This past week, the Pistons’ injuries have brought them down to Earth. They lost all 3 games of their second West road trip, snapping their previous 5 game win streak.
The Pistons lost in Houston 107-96. They lost their second gone in New Orleans 95-87. And they dropped their third straight to Oklahoma City 109-98.
The Pistons didn’t match the energy of the Rockets and played lackluster defense, particularly in transition. The losses to the Hornets and Thunder were variations on a theme: strong first half start followed by a weak second half marked with no ball movement and offensive breakdowns, and falling to 11-15.
On the surface, Rodney Stuckey continued his strong play which earned him Eastern Conference player of the week honors last week. He averaged 24.7 points, but his assist average declined to 4.3 per game and he committed 4 turnovers per game.
Coach Kuester stated in a post game interview that Stuckey needs to lead as well as score points. Stuckey and the rest of the team have to commit to ball movement as well in order to generate offense throughout the game.
After returning for just two games, Richard Hamilton has missed the last two games due to a right hamstring he tweaked against Houston. No timeline has been set for Tayshaun Prince’s return from a ruptured disc in his lower back. Gordon, who is nursing a sprained ankle, is day-to-day. He is able to run in straight lines, but unable to make sharp turns without discomfort yet.
Thrust into the starting power forward position, Jason Maxiell has struggled with minimal scoring and rebounding production. His step back this season is mystifying.
Will Bynum returned from a pair of sprained ankles to contribute in the games in New Orleans and Oklahoma City. And he also stated his desire to return to the Pistons as a restricted free agent.
Jonas Jerebko continued his solid high energy play, grabbing rebounds, scoring, and defending. He had a good defensive night in particular against budding superstar Kevin Durant. Though Durant had 27 points, one below his scoring average, his night was ordinary (by his standards) when transition points and meaningless free throws at the end of the game are taken away.
Ben Wallace is continuing his solid, surprising play, staying among league leaders in rebounds with 10 boards per game.
Chucky Atkins has provided solid production and gotten the Pistons into their half court sets, allowing Stuckey to flourish in the two guard spot. Atkins has shown a tendency to shoot for a low percentage a number of pull-up triples, though.
Austin Daye played well in the losses to New Orleans and Oklahoma City, averaging 9.5 points. He’s been providing instant offense, creating his own shot and shooting beyond the three point line. Especially impressive was a three quarter court shot against New Orleans that went in, but just after time ended in the third quarter. Daye has also been a factor on defense, harassing scorers with his length and blocking shots.
Charlie Villanueva has apparently gotten used to his mask. He has played lights out, averaging 16.7 points, 7 rebounds, and 1 assist over the last week. But against Oklahoma, he injured his right heel in the first half and had to leave the game. He returned in the third quarter, but was diagnosed with plantar fasciitis. The condition had been flaring in the last few games, but Villanueva plans to play through it.
Chris Wilcox has seen an increase in his minutes over the last few games. His best performance for the Pistons came against Oklahoma when he scored 8 points on 4 of 4 shooting and pulled down four rebounds in 18 minutes of action. He showed chemistry with Will Bynum, scoring his first three baskets on assists from Bynum, including an acrobatic alley-oop in traffic. Considering that Wilcox put up solid numbers of 13 points and 7 rebounds for the Clippers and Sonics/Thunder and he possesses height, speed, and big hands, Wilcox has the potential to be a second frontcourt scoring option alongside Villanueva.
Debated over and scrutinized by Pistons fans since being named by Joe Dumars as the Pistons’ player of the future, Rodney Stuckey has reached an early season threshold. He has increased his offensive production, displayed an improved mid range jump shot, rebounded well, and played excellent defense. He now has to demonstrate the ability to lead the Pistons, elevate the play of his teammates, be an efficient offensive player, and a crunch time go-to scorer.
This is a heavy responsibility to carry. Whether Stuckey lives up to this or not, he didn’t ask to be labeled a franchise player coming out of Eastern Washington as he did. If Stuckey becomes a top 20 guard rather than a top 3, the Pistons could do worse than to have him playing for them.
Currently 8-4 on the road and 3-11 on the road, the Pistons road woes will continue without the presence of their go-to scorers Richard Hamilton and Ben Gordon and the steady contributions of Tayshaun Prince. In the view of Hamilton, the Pistons’ young players are still learning to win on the road.
“Learning to win on the road is totally different than winning at home,” Hamilton said. “I think it’s an adjustment. I think (the young) guys are still learning on the fly. I think that we’ll be better as the season goes on.”
Until the Pistons return to full strength, it will be a matter of speculation of what their capabilities are with this roster. The Pistons are struggling now, but the young players are offering reason to hope for a better future.
When he is not contributing content here at Midwest Sports Fans, Boris is the administrator of Club Pistons, one of the best Detroit Pistons fan forums on the web.
