The Detroit Pistons have a plethora of point guards, what to do?
The Detroit Pistons surprises: Saben Lee and Rodney McGruder
As for Saben Lee, he has been a revelation.
In a normal year, the 6-foot-2 rookie would be in Grand Rapids playing for the Drive in the G-League. Instead, he sat on the end of the Pistons bench, playing in only eight of its first 29 games, and even then seeing no more than 12 minutes in a game.
However, with Rose traded and Wright hurt, coach Dwane Casey had no choice but throw Lee out there and see what he could do. Turns out, it was a lot.
Related Story. Time for point guard Saben Lee. light
Lee has averaged 12.6 points in the eight games since Wright’s injury, including 21 points against the Magic and 20 versus the Raptors.
His athleticism has been on full display as he has tried a bunch of high-flying dunks. As for his outside shot, the reason he dropped to the second-round (and some mock drafts had him not even being selected), Lee has not exactly been a clone of Wayne Ellington, but he made 4 of the 6 three-pointers he has attempted.
McGruder has swung between the point and shooting guard positions. In the Pistons last two games before the All-Star break, McGruder averaged 16.5 points a game.
Take that Klay Thompson and Draymond Green!
Hayes appears to be doing well in his rehab, even taking some shots at the practice facility. If he could come back in time to play 20-25 games, that would be a real boost in Hayes development.
Although Hayes had some struggles when he played (particularly offensively), after Hayes got hurt, the starting lineup’s production fell off badly.
Counting Frank Jackson, a two-way player who has seen only a little court time, the Pistons have 6 players on the roster who have played point guard this season – and pretty well for the most part.