Andre Drummond — A-
Ho-hum, another 20-rebound game for Drummond. It’s hard to be critical of anyone’s play tonight since this Knicks team was such an abomination. Drummond dominated the glass, like he should, and he was active on defense both contesting shots and playing passing lanes. Cole Aldrich — who’s grown into a surprisingly useful player — did finish with 11 points and 14 boards, but did so on 15 attempts.
Greg Monroe — B-
Pistons came out looking to play off of Monroe early tonight and it got him into the flow. He should have shot better than 5 of 11 against Jason Smith, but his defensive effort makes up for a lackluster offensive game. Monroe is never going to be an elite defender, but it seems like Stan Van Gundy has put him in positions where he doesn’t have to cover as much ground, and Monroe has been better for it on that end. Smith, who dropped 17 on Monroe earlier this year, was held to 2 of 8 shooting.
Kyle Singler — D+
When Singler had a bad game earlier this season, he was still probably going to see plenty of action due to the Pistons lack of perimeter options behind him. But with Caron Butler still in one piece and Jodie Meeks looking like he’s made of fire, Van Gundy hasn’t hesitated to take out Singler when his shot isn’t falling. That was the case tonight as he missed three of four and played just 19 minutes.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope — B+
After starting the season rough, Caldwell-Pope has really come around since Meeks emergence. His shot is falling and his defense has been steadily improving. He spent most of the game guarding J.R. Smith, and while Smith’s shot selection can make him easier to guard than others, Caldwell-Pope helped hold him to 3-of-12 shooting through three quarters. Once Smith caught fire in the fourth to gash the Pistons’ lead, Van Gundy called upon him to stop the bleeding. That trust is good to see.
Brandon Jennings — A
I don’t think anyone expects Jennings to keep lighting it up and scoring 25-30 points per game, but he’s legitimately fun when he’s on. He’s shooting better shots than he has in the past, and he’s looked completely revitalized since the release of Josh Smith. Jennings isn’t a guy who can play off ball, he needs to the ball to stay engaged and get others involved. Like I said, is this sustainable? Probably not, but it’s no coincidence that he’s taken off after being given control of the offense.
Jodie Meeks — A-
Coming off his best shooting game as a pro, Meeks did his job again tonight. His scoring has been such a huge boost to this team and it’s been hidden behind the narrative that Josh Smith being gone has cured the Pistons’ ills. He’s doing it from downtown and showing a surprising drive and score/dish game. His defense hasn’t been bad, either. Jose Calderon is a good shooter and Meeks helped hold him to 3-of-11 shooting.
Caron Butler — B-
The return of Meeks has definitely cut into Butler’s minutes, and that’s been a good thing. The Pistons didn’t sign Butler to play 20-25 minutes a night, they signed him to act like an adult in the locker room and play well when called upon. He came in and immediately hit a triple to get the Pistons rolling in the second quarter and has been sound, despite looking completely washed up analytically.
D.J. Augustin — C+
While Josh Smith’s departure has really paid off for Jennings, Augustin hasn’t quite taken off like I expected. He’s still struggling with his shot and he’s turning the ball over a ton. His nine assists were nice tonight, but the five turnovers that came with them were not. He does know how to get the ball to guys in their spots, specifically Meeks, and his 3-pointer in the final two minutes put an end to the Knicks’ little run at the end.
Jonas Jerebko — B+
This is the kind of play that’s going to get Jerebko a decent contract this summer. Made everything he took — albeit one 2, one 3 and two FTs — and grabbed four rebounds. There was a time when he tried to do too much and flopped, and there was a time when he did a lot well and it didn’t amount to much on bad Pistons teams. It’s cool to see him helping this team dig itself from its grave.
Anthony Tolliver — C
As Spencer Dinwiddie has been pointing out on Twitter, the Pistons have now won four in a row since acquiring Tolliver. He’s fit in well and done what he’s supposed to do — set screens, pop and fire. He’s now hit a 3-pointer in each game he’s played, fitting well as the stretch-4 with Drummond.
Cartier Martin — D
Martin only played late in the fourth quarter, but he did not look comfortable at all during his short run. He couldn’t get up a shot late in the clock and turned it over, and he just doesn’t seem right from a basketball perspective. To be fair, for most it’s hard to be ready when you barely play. Especially as a guy who shoots/scores.
Joel Anthony — C
The Knicks mounted their late run with Anthony on the floor, but it wasn’t necessarily his fault. The Pistons lineup at that point was Anthony, Tolliver, Butler, Meeks and Augustin. That front court is… uh… something. Anyways, Anthony blocked a shot and set some decent screens. That’s his job and I prefer to see him do it with the Pistons up 20.
Stan Van Gundy — A
Beat the teams you should, and beat them soundly. Van Gundy has had to swim through a lot of crap in the early going this season, but it seems like he’s finally got the Pistons playing like he thought they would. That’s obviously partially because of Josh Smith’s departure, but it’s also because Meeks has given the offense a jolt and the entire team is just having fun.
These Knicks were without Carmelo Anthony plus so many guys who they rely on, and the Pistons cruised to a win. They curb stomped them. That’s an accomplishment in itself — beating teams you should — because the Pistons haven’t done that much in recent years. The offense has been the story, but the defense was great tonight. The Pistons held New York under 40 percent shooting and held them without a field goal until the 4:52 mark of the third quarter. FSD had a great stat: This is the first time the Pistons have won four-straight games by 10-plus points since Chauncey-Rip-Tayshaun-Dyess-Sheed was a thing in 2007.
Detroit should beat the dysfunctional Kings at home this weekend… and then they’ll go on the road to play San Antonio and Dallas before hosting Atlanta. We’ll know a lot more about this team after that, but right now they’re fun. Oh, and they’re also only 4.5 games back of Miami for the eighth seed, if you’re keeping track at home.