#45 - Pistons@Magic - 7pm ET

[MortSahlfan]

At least ATL is going to lose and CHI-PHI plays tonight.

[Absolutia]

I’m a little disappointed in Langdon for not addressing the backup PG need already. It’s not that Sasser is terrible, he’s just not a point guard. When Cade sits our whole offense looks shakey. Don’t like that.

I thought it should it have been addressed before the season started.

[Cowology]

I’m a little disappointed in Langdon for not addressing the backup PG need already. It’s not that Sasser is terrible, he’s just not a point guard. When Cade sits our whole offense looks shakey. Don’t like that.

I thought it should it have been addressed before the season started.

While I mostly agree, this is good for Sassers' development regardless of whether he's a PG or not. He'll be a better player for it next season and we'll get Ivey back, so it could be taken as us doubling down on development vs trying to pick up a few more regular season wins. Us being surprisingly competitive at this point in the season sorta pushes it to an even weirder place though so I'm curious to see how the trade deadline plays out. If we decide to make a stronger push for 6+ seeding then maybe we have to re-evaluate development vs. competitive play. We'll see..

[Invictus88]

I’m a little disappointed in Langdon for not addressing the backup PG need already. It’s not that Sasser is terrible, he’s just not a point guard. When Cade sits our whole offense looks shakey. Don’t like that.

I thought it should it have been addressed before the season started.

While I mostly agree, this is good for Sassers' development regardless of whether he's a PG or not. He'll be a better player for it next season and we'll get Ivey back, so it could be taken as us doubling down on development vs trying to pick up a few more regular season wins. Us being surprisingly competitive at this point in the season sorta pushes it to an even weirder place though so I'm curious to see how the trade deadline plays out. If we decide to make a stronger push for 6+ seeding then maybe we have to re-evaluate development vs. competitive play. We'll see..

I just don't see tge development of Sasser as a 1 to be a valid enough reason to neglect the position all year. Especially given how badly he looked last year and continued to struggle in the offseason/preseason. A move (albeit small) should have been made.

[ComboGuardCity]

Jalen Suggs is a reckless player. I’m glad we’re done seeing them this season.

[bstein14]

Im not sure I would allow Tek a seat on the plane out of town for as little as he cared to contribute during the minutes he chewed up.

A lot of nights it feels like he does the least out of all the 10 guys in the rotation. Tough matchup asking him to defend one of Franz or Banchero at times but overall just seems to bring very little if he isn't hitting shots.

Yeah. If Tek isn't super active with his feet when his shot isn't falling he's not useful at all. That's the spot in the rotation that needs to be upgraded if there isn't a secondary ball-handler worth bringing in available on the market.

More and more I feel like Ausar should be playing close to 35 MPG with Font as a low MPG backup for him. A lot of nights its starting to feel like Ausar is our 2nd best player out there... not always, but enough that his MPG should continue to grow.

C: Duren(24) / Stew(24)
F: Ausar(35) / Font(13)
F: Tobias(31) / Holland II(17)
G: THJ(24) / Beasley(24)
G: Cade(35) / Sasser(13)

[NYPiston]

The Pistons are not ready to beat a team like this yet. Orlando is really a 50+ win team when healthy and a team with multiple high level scorers and length everywhere, really tough matchup for a Pistons team that's pretty limited offensively beyond Cade.
You see Banchero and Wagner go off and you see visions of what it would be like if Cade had his tag team partner. His guy right now is....Beasley? Ivey showed some improvement this season but not sure if he's that guy.

[Laimbeer]

A lot of nights it feels like he does the least out of all the 10 guys in the rotation. Tough matchup asking him to defend one of Franz or Banchero at times but overall just seems to bring very little if he isn't hitting shots.

Yeah. If Tek isn't super active with his feet when his shot isn't falling he's not useful at all. That's the spot in the rotation that needs to be upgraded if there isn't a secondary ball-handler worth bringing in available on the market.

More and more I feel like Ausar should be playing close to 35 MPG with Font as a low MPG backup for him. A lot of nights its starting to feel like Ausar is our 2nd best player out there... not always, but enough that his MPG should continue to grow.

C: Duren(24) / Stew(24)
F: Ausar(35) / Font(13)
F: Tobias(31) / Holland II(17)
G: THJ(24) / Beasley(24)
G: Cade(35) / Sasser(13)

Tek and Harris are below average three point shooters this season. Given their deficiencies in about everything else they are clear liabilities.

[zeebneeb]

Tough loss last night, loved the passion and fire. Pistons feel like they should win every game now.

Bickerstaff getting tossed was awesome.

Love all these growing pains, becoming a good basketball team.

[Absolutia]

I’m a little disappointed in Langdon for not addressing the backup PG need already. It’s not that Sasser is terrible, he’s just not a point guard. When Cade sits our whole offense looks shakey. Don’t like that.

I thought it should it have been addressed before the season started.

While I mostly agree, this is good for Sassers' development regardless of whether he's a PG or not. He'll be a better player for it next season and we'll get Ivey back, so it could be taken as us doubling down on development vs trying to pick up a few more regular season wins. Us being surprisingly competitive at this point in the season sorta pushes it to an even weirder place though so I'm curious to see how the trade deadline plays out. If we decide to make a stronger push for 6+ seeding then maybe we have to re-evaluate development vs. competitive play. We'll see..

This is all dependent on how the management view Sasser. Personally, I saw him as surplus to requirements at the start of the season, but maybe they see him as a potential part of the future and worth investing time in. I didn't consider him as a ballhandler, but that must be something TL sees in him, because having only Cade and JI (who will mostly play together) as the only ballhendlers on the team, would be a bizarre oversight for anyone.

While I'm not blown away by him as a PG, he is better than I thought he would be and I think he's improved since taking it on. Not sure he's going to be a long term solution though.

[Neptune]

Every time we play a decent or competitive team, we'll have this same issue without Ivey. We have to make a bandaid trade.

[zeebneeb]

Every time we play a decent or competitive team, we'll have this same issue without Ivey. We have to make a bandaid trade.

This is true, but how much of a bandaid?

How much will that cost?

If it's obvious to us(and just about everyone who watches basketball)that without Ivey the Pistons need another ball-handler and playmaker, its gotta be obvious to TL.

One things for sure, its only about a week away from the trade deadline, so we're gonna find out soon.

[Absolutia]

I thought it should it have been addressed before the season started.

While I mostly agree, this is good for Sassers' development regardless of whether he's a PG or not. He'll be a better player for it next season and we'll get Ivey back, so it could be taken as us doubling down on development vs trying to pick up a few more regular season wins. Us being surprisingly competitive at this point in the season sorta pushes it to an even weirder place though so I'm curious to see how the trade deadline plays out. If we decide to make a stronger push for 6+ seeding then maybe we have to re-evaluate development vs. competitive play. We'll see..

I just don't see tge development of Sasser as a 1 to be a valid enough reason to neglect the position all year. Especially given how badly he looked last year and continued to struggle in the offseason/preseason. A move (albeit small) should have been made.

I do think it looks pretty bizarre to consider Cade, JI and Sassser as adequate personnel to cover ballhandling duties, especially on a fifteen man roster. I'd have thought that at the very least a Cory Joseph type vet should be occupying that position before Sasser.

I think that maybe within the organisation, there is actually more belief in Sasser as an asset than I have, but I have a hard time believing that.

[Kalamazoo317]

I'm bummed that Ivey is missing out on the developmental reps to help him grow into the role of what this team needs in that slot, but I'm far from convinced that he was there yet or that he'd turn games like last night's into wins. I agree that we're just not ready to win games like that yet and that we need that #2 alongside Cade, whether that's something Ivey or Holland or Ausar eventually grows into or whether it comes from elsewhere.

[GreekAlex]

I'm bummed that Ivey is missing out on the developmental reps to help him grow into the role of what this team needs in that slot, but I'm far from convinced that he was there yet or that he'd turn games like last night's into wins. I agree that we're just not ready to win games like that yet and that we need that #2 alongside Cade, whether that's something Ivey or Holland or Ausar eventually grows into or whether it comes from elsewhere.

If Ivey and Harris were available, I think this game has a different outcome.

It may have if Tobias didn’t have to exit.

Momentum is huge and we didn’t have the firepower to fight back when Orlando was making a comeback.

[chrbal]

Every time we play a decent or competitive team, we'll have this same issue without Ivey. We have to make a bandaid trade.

If we could Sexton without handing the Jazz too much, sure. If Jordan Clarkson was healthy, I’d do it. I just don’t see the point of going after McCollum and don’t see other moves that apply as a “bandaid trade”

While I mostly agree, this is good for Sassers' development regardless of whether he's a PG or not. He'll be a better player for it next season and we'll get Ivey back, so it could be taken as us doubling down on development vs trying to pick up a few more regular season wins. Us being surprisingly competitive at this point in the season sorta pushes it to an even weirder place though so I'm curious to see how the trade deadline plays out. If we decide to make a stronger push for 6+ seeding then maybe we have to re-evaluate development vs. competitive play. We'll see..

I just don't see the development of Sasser as a 1 to be a valid enough reason to neglect the position all year. Especially given how badly he looked last year and continued to struggle in the offseason/preseason. A move (albeit small) should have been made.

I do think it looks pretty bizarre to consider Cade, JI and Sassser as adequate personnel to cover ballhandling duties, especially on a fifteen man roster. I'd have thought that at the very least a Corey Joseph type vet should be occupying that position before Sasser.

I think that maybe within the organization, there is actually more belief in Sasser as an asset than I have, but I have a hard time believing that.

We had at least one topic about what PG to get. I’ve never liked the idea of not having at least one true point guard on a roster, especially a young roster. I get wanting to have roster flexibility, but I doubt it would’ve hurt that to sign a decent veteran point guard for the situations where we needed one.

Wouldn’t have solved the issue, but I’m convinced Sacramento would’ve included at least 3 seconds to get us to take Davion Mitchell (obviously not much of a veteran, but wouldve made for sense than adding Moore, jr) and Sasha Vezenkov (opted completely out of his contract) for some top 58 protected second round pick

[coordinator0]

A lot of nights it feels like he does the least out of all the 10 guys in the rotation. Tough matchup asking him to defend one of Franz or Banchero at times but overall just seems to bring very little if he isn't hitting shots.

Yeah. If Tek isn't super active with his feet when his shot isn't falling he's not useful at all. That's the spot in the rotation that needs to be upgraded if there isn't a secondary ball-handler worth bringing in available on the market.

More and more I feel like Ausar should be playing close to 35 MPG with Font as a low MPG backup for him. A lot of nights its starting to feel like Ausar is our 2nd best player out there... not always, but enough that his MPG should continue to grow.

C: Duren(24) / Stew(24)
F: Ausar(35) / Font(13)
F: Tobias(31) / Holland II(17)
G: THJ(24) / Beasley(24)
G: Cade(35) / Sasser(13)

I think Ausar is still working himself back into full-time playing shape. To me that might be the only thing holding him back at the moment. Just imagine where he would be at this point without the blood clot issues.

[bstein14]

Yeah. If Tek isn't super active with his feet when his shot isn't falling he's not useful at all. That's the spot in the rotation that needs to be upgraded if there isn't a secondary ball-handler worth bringing in available on the market.

More and more I feel like Ausar should be playing close to 35 MPG with Font as a low MPG backup for him. A lot of nights its starting to feel like Ausar is our 2nd best player out there... not always, but enough that his MPG should continue to grow.

C: Duren(24) / Stew(24)
F: Ausar(35) / Font(13)
F: Tobias(31) / Holland II(17)
G: THJ(24) / Beasley(24)
G: Cade(35) / Sasser(13)

I think Ausar is still working himself back into full-time playing shape. To me that might be the only thing holding him back at the moment. Just imagine where he would be at this point without the blood clot issues.

His brother has been playing insane for the Rockets a top 5 defender in the league and he's putting up 17.3 PPG, 11.0 RPG and 3.7 APG in 14 games as a starter this season. He's only starting since Jabari Smith Jr got injured you'd have to assume that one of Jabari Smith, Dillon Brooks, or Jalen Green are going to have to be going to the bench and they will keep starting Amen the way he has been playing.

[NYPiston]

Every time we play a decent or competitive team, we'll have this same issue without Ivey. We have to make a bandaid trade.

The Pistons are 4-4 against play-in to playoff teams since Ivey got injured, not exactly drowning without him.

With that said, they do need to make a trade to help out Cade who is going to get worn down at some point from carrying the entire load. Back to back 10+ turnover games points to a guy who is taking on too much and eventually it's going to catch up to him and the Pistons.

[Kalamazoo317]

I'm bummed that Ivey is missing out on the developmental reps to help him grow into the role of what this team needs in that slot, but I'm far from convinced that he was there yet or that he'd turn games like last night's into wins. I agree that we're just not ready to win games like that yet and that we need that #2 alongside Cade, whether that's something Ivey or Holland or Ausar eventually grows into or whether it comes from elsewhere.

If Ivey and Harris were available, I think this game has a different outcome.

It may have if Tobias didn’t have to exit.

Momentum is huge and we didn’t have the firepower to fight back when Orlando was making a comeback.

No Ivey *and* no Harris does leave them pretty short of players who can create their own shot when Cade's on the bench.