Pistons-Mavs (7pm, BSD, NBA TV)

[MortSahlfan]

Bey has been just awful. Can't shoot, can't catch passes, you name it.

What the hell happened?

The opposite of what happened to Killian, I guess.

What a win! Going into OT, we could have hung our heads but we fought and won. I liked the chemistry from all the guys - even Hamidou who didn't play was giving high 5's, etc...
Nice to see some mid-range shots, going to the hole, and taking (mostly) good 3's, but not overdoing it. We outrebounded them about 2:1, which has to be the game. On one play, Stew had about 4 offensive reasons and scored.

Good move to start Killian and have Ivey come off the bench.. I also wonder what happens when Cade comes back.

[MotownMadness]

Bey has been just awful. Can't shoot, can't catch passes, you name it.

What the hell happened?

Good move to start Killian and have Ivey come off the bench.. I also wonder what happens when Cade comes back.

Ivey came off the bench im assuming cause he was coming back from injury but was starting the 2nd half after Livers went down.

Im assuming Killian would come off the bench out of the 3 unless he really actually turned into a Deron Williams out there.

[NYPiston]

The crazy thing is, if Cade didn't go down right when Burks came back from injury we might not have seen this. Great to see from Killian and now you can see why Weaver made the move to pick up that 4th year option... it made no sense to me a few weeks ago because we haven't seen this version of Killian yet. Hopefully its not just a flash in the pan and its something with some long term staying power that he continues to build on.

Picking up the 4th year option was a no brainer I thought. Cheap young player with upside still, letting him go would have been pointless for a team still deep into development stage.

What will be interesting about Killian's development is that he's going to get a lot of playing time this season with Cade likely out for the season so what happens when he's relegated to the bench again next season?

In any event, he needs to show more consistency but he has had more good games than bad lately so it'll be intriguing to see where he takes this, confidence is everything for a young player and he has it now. The talent was always there, it was just a matter of him being confident enough to harness it.

[Moses ShamMoses]

Funny that a couple years ago Pistons fans thought Bey > Stewart > Hayes, now fast forward to today, and some might say its looking like it could end up Hayes > Stewart > Bey just like their draft order. Who would have guessed "NBA Readiness" doesn't mean you'll have the best career. That's why I've always said we need to be team to find out if Killian will develop, not some other team.

[NYPiston]

I think Stewart is pretty clearly ahead of the other guys especially now that he's starting to hit 3's with more regularity.

[Moses ShamMoses]

I think Stewart is pretty clearly ahead of the other guys especially now that he's starting to hit 3's with more regularity.

Yeah he's ahead at the moment but Killian is picking up steam. Personally, long-term, I view Stewart as an energy bench big with a jumper you need to respect. I just think he has too many limitations in other parts of his game and limitations with his physical profile (undersized, not a great leaper, etc).

[zeebneeb]

I in no way want to get ahead of myself, but if Killian continues to develope, and have games like this, is there any reason why Cade can't start at the SF position? It may actually benefit his game, speed, and strength.

Over the last 4, Killian;

16.5 PPG
7.8 APG
4.0 RPG
.527% FG
.353% 3P
32.4 MPG

3 legitimate ball handlers, and creators on the floor every game would be absolutely amazing to have, game in, and game out.

I really hope Killian continues this, because damn it really makes the future of this team so bright. Aggressive play has lead to this, and I hope it continues.

[Manocad]

The cynic in me says, "Well, when Killian is out of the league in a couple years, he'll have this game to remember."

Stanley Johnson had a good game against LeBron once, and he's still kicking around.

Speaking of which, I'm kicking myself for not watching this game live!

Eh, if Killian plays well for an entire season people can still shake their fist at a cloud and say, "Ok, but until he does it for three full seasons..."

[edmunder_prc]

I've missed all of these Hayes superstar games. I honestly don't believe it really so I need to watch some highlight YT videos.

Hayes playing well and with confidence, shooting and driving, it seems like a dream.

[tradez401]

its very nice to see killian's game coming along so far this season the guys only 21 yrs old he can become a valuable player in this league.

[DBC10]

its very nice to see killian's game coming along so far this season the guys only 21 yrs old he can become a valuable player in this league.

It's certainly a 180 from where he first started where he looked shook. It really does put a lot of thought into how the rotations look going forward. Hayes and Bagley almost deserve to start just based on their most recent play along with some pockets of Burks here and there where he doesn't miss and looks like a perfect sixth man-fringe starter type

[Uncle Mxy]

Eh, if Killian plays well for an entire season people can still shake their fist at a cloud and say, "Ok, but until he does it for three full seasons..."

The opposition game plan for Hayes was dead dumb simple -- "dare him to shoot". His offense will play them out of the game, and his defense and ball handling aren't enough to compensate. If Hayes starts succeeding with that, the next step is for the opposition to watch some tape, figure out his comfort zones and try to make him uncomfortable. I'd want to see a stretch where teams plan for him and he's still effective. Three seasons? No. Three months? Probably. In October, oh so long ago, he was shooting 17% after all. I'm happy he's had a good stretch and hope he continues to improve. Am I sold? Hell no, not yet.