Detroit Pistons: Cade Cunningham’s injury creates opportunity

Detroit Pistons: Any opportunity for Saben Lee to see the court is a good opportunity

Saben Lee is going to be battling Cory Joseph for backup point guard minutes this season. With Cunningham and Hayes slated to play in lineups together and separately, those minutes could already be limited. With Cunningham out for the next preseason game or so, Lee will have ample opportunity to carve himself into that backup point guard role.

The 22-year-old point guard played well for the Detroit Pistons in a limited role during his rookie season. Lee played in 48 total games and garnered 16.3 minutes per contest. Lee showed potential to be a decent shooter in the NBA while also showing off a knack for playmaking. The point guard assisted on 33.2 percent of his teammates’ made field goals while he was on the court.

Cunningham’s injury will keep Casey from executing both lineups with Hayes and the rookie sharing time and lineups with the pair splitting time. This means Lee will be given more playing time and the opportunity to shine as a second-year player.

The 22-year-old has stated he wants to step up for the team on the defensive end of the court. Lee is looking to mark the opposing team’s best guards while he is on the court. While he will not be going up against any elite guards in Detroit’s first preseason game against the Spurs, he should still look to be a relentless perimeter defender during his minutes on the court.

On offense, Lee simply needs to look to build off of his rookie season. The point guard just needs to continue executing efficiently as a playmaker and show off a developed jump shot. If he can do that, he will have already shown strong strides in the right direction as the team’s backup point guard.