Under the Hood - it’s time to see what’s really going on inside this Pistons team.
There were some pretty exciting buckets last night.
Cade had two monster dunks - one lob from Ausar in transition and one poster on Anthony Davis.
Ron continues to show off his potential as a finisher with two incredibly strong layups at the rim over AD.
And Jalen Duren continues his Bam Adebayo arc with two pull-up 20ft midrange jumpers in this one.
JB Bickerstaff was unhappy with the referees last night, and it’s probably safe to assume many Pistons fans feel the same way. He let the world know what went down with his interactions with them:
If he wants evidence to support his claim, I’ve got some.
Cade is starting to drive to his left after being a defender to draw a foul while attempting a floater. At the beginning of the third quarter, he’s able to get in front of Naji Marshall and then attempt the layup while absorbing the contact to get the and-one to fall.
We miss a little of the beginning of the final possession, but Cade goes right back to the same attempt at the end of the game - and frankly, there’s way more contact from Cooper Flagg here than there was from Naji Marshall earlier. Anthony Davis’ arms are all over Jalen Duren after the rebound, too. No calls, though.
I wish the organization was more upfront about player injuries.
I understand wanting to keep medical information private, but from a fan perspective, it helps give us understanding and context to a player’s situation. Sasser missed a big chunk of the beginning of the season to an injury that we knew little about, and now Jaden Ivey’s minutes restriction is starting to be questioned.
He is on a minutes restriction, right?
In a game where JB Bickerstaff played thirteen players, including third-string guards Daniss Jenkins and Marcus Sasser, it makes you wonder why Jaden Ivey only got 14 minutes. He had eight points and made two of his four threes - one of the only Pistons players who shot it well from deep last night.
Ivey has played in 12 games now since his return from his broken leg last year and he’s averaging 15 minutes per game. Is that his limit? Has the medical team given him 15 minutes a game? Only three of his 12 games have seen him get more than 16 minutes. If he is on a restriction, when is it lifted? What does the training staff need to see first?
Per 36 minutes, Ivey is averaging 19 points, six rebounds, and four assists. He’s shooting 45% from the field and 35% from deep while increasing his volume - his 3PA per 36 minutes is at a career-high 7.4 attempts.
All this to say: this team could use a scorer like Ivey and I hope to see his minutes increase soon.