Caron Butler, Pistons defenseless as Detroit blows fourth-quarter lead to Jazz

Utah Jazz 97, Detroit Pistons 96

Caron Butler – F

Butler provided little resistance late on Gordon Hayward, who scored 11 points in the final five minutes to carry the Jazz back from a nine-point fourth-quarter deficit. Maybe – maybe – Butler’s awareness makes him a capable defender within Stan Van Gundy’s scheme. Maybe. Did I say maybe? But put him on an island on a talented offensive player like Hayward, and the results were predictably poor.

By shooting 1-for-5, Butler did nothing to offset his defensive woes.

Andre Drummond – A-

Drummond (11 points and 18 rebounds) was the most dominant I’ve seen him this season. He crashed the glass, especially offensively, HARD. In a brief fourth-quarter run, he missed a couple putback attempts and then committed a three-second violation. Drummond left the game for good with 3:31 left and the score tied.

As I’ve repeatedly said, I’d much rather have Drummond play all out until he’s too tired to continue rather than try to conserve energy. I liked his approach tonight, even if his teammates couldn’t close the deal without him.

Brandon Jennings – B+

Jennings (23 points and five assists) played well overall, though he showed his tendency to get too selfish when he thinks he’s hot. Sometimes, you just have to walk away from the table when you’re up.

I’m not dinging the point guard for missing a runner at the buzzer. He created a decent-enough look in a tough situation, though I would have preferred a standstill jumper from him.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope – D+

Caldwell-Pope remains streaky from beyond the arc, shooting 3-of-6 on 3-pointers in the first half and 0-for-3 in the second half. It’s also concerning how he scores inside the arc, where he missed all four of his shots. Caldwell-Pope is a straight-line driver, and that makes him easier to defend.

If you’re keeping track, at least Caldwell-Pope was better than Trey Burke, who shot 2-for-8 and was a team-worst –8.

Josh Smith – C

The Pistons lack dependable offensive players, often leaving the ball in Smith’s hands on the perimeter with a little space and no clear directive for the next step. That’s the Pistons’ fault.

Smith has often taken that as an invitation to shoot. That’s his fault.

But he seems to be coming around to understanding he shouldn’t bomb away just because this team makes it easy for him to do so. Smith (13 points on 14 shots) is still struggling to score himself, but he kept the ball moving (four assists, one turnover) and pitched in elsewhere (nine rebounds).

Greg Monroe – B

Monroe (19 points and 11 rebounds) remains a reliable contributor, though his 18 shots were a little high for that production. Don’t get me wrong, though. The Pistons getting Monroe the ball, whether or not he shoots a high percentage on that particular night, bodes well.

Jonas Jerebko – B-

Jerebko was really hustling.

Kyle Singler – D

Singler had four assists, but I can’t say much else positive. He missed both his shots and committed five fouls in 21 minutes.

D.J. Augustin – D-

Augustin shot 2-for-9, but he darted to the basket enough to generate a team-best six free throws (making five) in just 17 minutes. The trips to the line didn’t do enough to keep Detroit’s offense afloat with him leading it, though.

Stan Van Gundy – D

Van Gundy’s faith in Butler, from giving him a $4.5 annual salary to relying on him down the stretch against Utah, seems unjustified. At 34, Butler can longer reliably produce – especially defensively – and that bit Detroit tonight.

This team continues to struggle offensively, and though I blame the players more than Van Gundy, I’m a bit disappointed the coach hasn’t done more to right the ship.