Originally Posted by dba

It's early to think about this, but....

I'm thinking the two biggest issues with the Pistons entering the playoffs are a back-up point guard and a back-up small forward. (Assuming Amir can become the fourth big.) Best you can say right now is that the jury is still out on both Stuckey and Hayes.

Stuckey is struggling, as is expected. Nobody with his level of experience can waltz in and run this offense. Hopefully the hand injury is what set him back and with time and a long season can come around and show what he was starting to show towards the end of pre-season.

Hayes seemed pretty good the first twenty or thirty games, but maybe that was new team rush. Hopefully he's in a slump now and the real Hayes is the one we saw early and not the one we're seeing now. Beyond Hayes you have Fabio - who might be productive in short spurts, Affalo - ditto, and Amir playing out of position - not sure I've seen anything that would make me think he could do this.

Little scary.

Originally Posted by roscoe36

I think Stuck and AJ to a lesser degree are very different from Maxiell and Afflalo, in that both played against lesser competition, and did not have to bear the burden of a national spotlight.

You can see the difference in how they play. Afflalo clearly has limits on his upside, and plays within them. Maxiell has quickly figured out that if he doesn't work hard, he won't get anything done.

But Stuckey and AJ are still struggling a little to find their game at this level. They are learning what they can do, what they can't do, and then the next step is focusing on what they need to do.

Upside

Stuckey has very good speed, and a nose for the paint (or at least to shorten up long shot attempts). He's a decent finisher at the rim and a fairly good FT shooter. Surprising passing game.

Amir has insane athleticism, and a nose for the ball. His slight build doesn't prevent him from succeeding in traffic near the hoop.

Criticisms

Stuckey is prone to lazy passes, particularly in a league where the role players are veteran defenders, who look specifically for passes to pick off. His jumpshooting is erratic, could be his hand. Man defense is fine if he is aggressive, team defense is lousy.

Amir is good using his athleticism, but still doesn't get good position for rebounds, and doesn't have much of a post game. If he could clean this up with a couple solid moves, and better placement, he could be a dominant inside player. IF.

When it comes to team defense, Amir has been getting better, but he's still got a long way to go. He seems to be a natural replacement for Ben Wallace, with his speed and agility allowing him to defend all of the way out to the perimeter, as well as show and recover on P&Rs in a way that Antonio McDyess cannot.

Good players, lots of potential, lots of learning and seasoning required. I can already see the transition from over confidence, to lack of confidence, which is good, because you have to tear down some of the swagger and replace it with skills.

Originally Posted by TaShawn

I think that the only way to make this thing work this year with Stuckey, is to surround him with some shooters.

Perhaps the best option would be Sheed + Rip. He can hit the 3 and he can draw the biggest defender out of the paint for Stuck.

You'd have to shorten up Rip and Sheed's first stints so that they can get back out there early in the 2nd. Stuck/Rip/Hayes/Max/Sheed should be a good lineup for him. And quit doing that play where he just hands off to Rip at the top after bringing the ball down the court.

Maybe you end the half with Billups/Afflalo/Tay/Amir/Dyess.

Originally Posted by roscoe36

I think Stuck and AJ to a lesser degree are very different from Maxiell and Afflalo, in that both played against lesser competition, and did not have to bear the burden of a national spotlight.

You can see the difference in how they play. Afflalo clearly has limits on his upside, and plays within them. Maxiell has quickly figured out that if he doesn't work hard, he won't get anything done.

But Stuckey and AJ are still struggling a little to find their game at this level. They are learning what they can do, what they can't do, and then the next step is focusing on what they need to do.

Upside

Stuckey has very good speed, and a nose for the paint (or at least to shorten up long shot attempts). He's a decent finisher at the rim and a fairly good FT shooter. Surprising passing game.

Amir has insane athleticism, and a nose for the ball. His slight build doesn't prevent him from succeeding in traffic near the hoop.

Criticisms

Stuckey is prone to lazy passes, particularly in a league where the role players are veteran defenders, who look specifically for passes to pick off. His jumpshooting is erratic, could be his hand. Man defense is fine if he is aggressive, team defense is lousy.

Amir is good using his athleticism, but still doesn't get good position for rebounds, and doesn't have much of a post game. If he could clean this up with a couple solid moves, and better placement, he could be a dominant inside player. IF.

When it comes to team defense, Amir has been getting better, but he's still got a long way to go. He seems to be a natural replacement for Ben Wallace, with his speed and agility allowing him to defend all of the way out to the perimeter, as well as show and recover on P&Rs in a way that Antonio McDyess cannot.

Good players, lots of potential, lots of learning and seasoning required. I can already see the transition from over confidence, to lack of confidence, which is good, because you have to tear down some of the swagger and replace it with skills.

Originally Posted by st8ofmind

When Rip and Stucky are out there together it gets real scary because then Rip is handling the ball sometimes (VERY FRIGHTENING)

Originally Posted by buddahfan

This thread is lost in space somewhere.

He is a rookie with about 15 games at point guard.