#62 - Pistons@Jazz - 9pm ET

[Kalamazoo317]

Duren is also tough to place because his combination of atheleticism, ball handling, dunking/finishing, and offensive awareness/passing with no shooting and average (?) defense is not a super common mold. Most of the better passing big men could also shoot, for instance, and most of the better dunking/finishing big men were better defenders.

[blog_pistons]

Very serious match with Duren playing all star level. There is another thing that caught my attention, in the last quarter there was a moment when there was silence in the Utah pavilion and a DEEEEETROITTT BAAAASKETBALL was heard. It was great

[Cowology]

Duren is also tough to place because his combination of atheleticism, ball handling, dunking/finishing, and offensive awareness/passing with no shooting and average (?) defense is not a super common mold. Most of the better passing big men could also shoot, for instance, and most of the better dunking/finishing big men were better defenders.

You're not wrong. What's interesting to me, is that's sorta the reason I didn't think he'd pan out. He's not a defensive anchor and doesn't spread the floor. It shouldn't work.

But he's turned himself into a passable defender with room to improve and that truly makes all the difference. Defense buys him time to work on all those other parts of the game. Defense (without fouling) keeps him on floor.

[MrBigShot]

Ausar is good enough at this point to start on most contending teams. I knew he was a great defender with terrific instincts, but I didn't expect his offensive develop this season.

He is a legitimate scoring threat despite not being a good shooter. Always seems to be in the right place off ball, deadly in transition, and looks increasingly more comfortable taking guys off the dribble.

[tmorgan]

Ausar’s still just OK off the dribble, really. Does has a silly good first step, but the handle is loose. He’ll get better.

As a cutter, tho? Top notch. He and Duren are rim assaulting every night now.

[DetroitSho]

You know this team is deep when you have quality guys like Sasser and Reed that are Human Victory Cigar players now. Lindy Waters seems like a decent player too.

Yes the 11th - 13th guys on our bench are better than players we've had in the rotation and even started the last four years prior.

I do not accept this blatant Rodney McGruder slander. That man was a bucket.

Even tho you may have been joking, I really did like Rodney Mcgruder and his ability to sit for weeks and come into a game and get a quick 12 out the blue. He was a really good guy to have at the end of the bench.

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