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He sucked to start out of the season, but his post-All Star break numbers are 45% FG, 35% 3P%. He's had some decent moments as a Piston. I'm surprised he isn't getting subbed in to see if he has a hot hand, or when we need a good hard foul on a flopper.

Uncle Mxy wrote:He sucked to start out of the season, but his post-All Star break numbers are 45% FG, 35% 3P%. He's had some decent moments as a Piston. I'm surprised he isn't getting subbed in to see if he has a hot hand, or when we need a good hard foul on a flopper.

Who should we take minutes away from?

GreekAlex wrote:

Uncle Mxy wrote:He sucked to start out of the season, but his post-All Star break numbers are 45% FG, 35% 3P%. He's had some decent moments as a Piston. I'm surprised he isn't getting subbed in to see if he has a hot hand, or when we need a good hard foul on a flopper.

Who should we take minutes away from?

The answer here is Holland...and I'm a huge Holland guy.

The lights seem too bright for him this series. He is getting to the basket and drawing fouls, but that is about it.

Now if he was fighting guys and being more of an agitator, I'd say keep playing him...but he seems a little lost out there, and our scoring falls off a cliff when he is in there with the other bench guys. Wish he would've stomped out KAT in game 4 (before Cade pushed him). If he is starting fights, keep playing him, if not, maybe Simone can offer more right now.

Yes, Simone had rough start to the year but was showing some glimpses by end of the season. Almost seems too late to throw Simone into the fray now, but I agree that he didn't deserve to be completely yanked out of the rotation.

The stats look a little better than I expected post-ASB. Although I was a big fan last season, he doesn’t seem like that guy this year. This season it felt like he was always in the wrong place on both sides of the ball, always making a mistake, and incapable of making the momentum shots we need him to make.

Maybe he should’ve got a shot in game 1 or 2. But for game 6, I’d rather see Ausar get an increase in minutes than see potential Fontecchio or Holland minutes tbh

JLiv wrote:The stats look a little better than I expected post-ASB. Although I was a big fan last season, he doesn’t seem like that guy this year. This season it felt like he was always in the wrong place on both sides of the ball, always making a mistake, and incapable of making the momentum shots we need him to make.

Maybe he should’ve got a shot in game 1 or 2. But for game 6, I’d rather see Ausar get an increase in minutes than see potential Fontecchio or Holland minutes tbh

Yes to this
Starters plus Shröder Beasley and pray to god Stew for gm6. That's it

I'd play BBall Paul over Holland or Tech at this point

The real forgotten man here is Sasser. He always played steady and was ready when given minutes.

I trust him against Payne/McBride. He protects the ball and can shoot better than Holland and Fontechio when he's cold.

We need more Shroder/Cade backcourt so Cade can focus on drawing fouls and avoid potential turnovers…then let Sasser get the few minutes when Payne is subbing for Brunson.

Show the Knicks a different look, and run them out of the building with fresh/young legs. Our depth was a plus for us all year.

Pass on Tech.

We've talked about this before but it's a systems issue. Tech is a guy who plays better off the bounce. He needs that "feel" to get comfortable.
Unfortunately, he's not really a guy we're looking to run plays for and he's struggled in the higher volume catch & shoot situations that Beasley/THj are FAR more comfortable converting. He has a little of that Ausar ability to create hustle pts, but lacks the elite athleticism.

Utah figured this out last year which is why we got him so "cheap". He's the type of guy who's going to look better playing a higher volume on a worse team, but is going to struggle in a more limited role on a better team. Maybe there is a system or fit out there that lets him play his game, but he's probably a better fit overseas.

I'm assuming it's because he's not very good at basketball most nights, and Holland plays over him because of his defense

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I'm surprised he didn't check in for Beasley when he started 0 for 5 from three in Game 3 (and was 3 for his last 23). If he didn't see minutes when a rotation player was struggling, he's just not going to see minutes this playoffs.

Uncle Mxy wrote:He sucked to start out of the season, but his post-All Star break numbers are 45% FG, 35% 3P%. He's had some decent moments as a Piston. I'm surprised he isn't getting subbed in to see if he has a hot hand, or when we need a good hard foul on a flopper.

TERRIBLE DEFENDER

Well Detroit should be up 3-2, hell maybe 4-1, so they don’t need a major change. Sure throw him in for holland if he hits his first three keep him in if not sub him out, lol

I'd have played him over Holland this series, no question.

MrBigShot wrote:I'd have played him over Holland this series, no question.

Would you have said that before the series?

GreekAlex wrote:

MrBigShot wrote:I'd have played him over Holland this series, no question.

Would you have said that before the series?

I prefer them run holland, let him play when the game is being officiated different and the intensity is up, great expeceriemce for a young fella, even if he hasn’t been good, maybe game 6 is his game, never know

I would take Hollands defense over playing Fontecchio.

35% from three post-ASB is pretty pedestrian for a guy that's supposed to be a three point specialist. He doesn't really offer much else on the floor so JB has rightly benched him.

I still think we should throw him out there once a night when the offense is bogged down just to get some spacing and see if he's got it. He's the only plausibly PF sized guy besides Harris.

It's just a flesh wound?

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/nba/pistons/2025/05/19/simone-fontecchio-vital-to-detroit-pistons-despite-reduced-role/83710284007/

Simone Fontecchio ended the season with several deep gashes on his arms.

Some lacerations occurred when he tried to be a peacemaker during the Detroit Pistons’ dust-up with the Minnesota Timberwolves on March 30. While the fight between Ron Holland Jr. and Donte DiVincenzo spilled over into the fans who sat baseline at Target Center, Fontecchio was one of a handful of players who tried to de-escalate the situation.

However, the rest of Fontecchio’s scratches were caused by the NBA’s physical nature, a common wound for most players who play an important role for their respective teams. Although coach J.B. Bickerstaff omitted him from his rotation in the postseason, Fontecchio’s playoff absence does not make his contributions from the regular season irrelevant.

If Font can get back to what he was doing with us the previous season, we instantly have one of the best benches in the league. He was really our 9th or 10th guy most nights but the previous year he played like what you'd want from a good 6th or 7th guy. Right now his value is nothing but he could end up being a valuable rotation player for us next season if he can get his shot back to where it was. He does play hard out there most nights.