After scoring just 78 points in their most recent loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Detroit Pistons need some kind of offensive spark.
The Pistons are making history with their lousy shooting, hitting under 40 percent of their field goals as a team, worst in the NBA in the last 60 years.
Just about everyone has been broke, from rookie Cade Cunningham to veteran Jerami Grant, and I am not sure I’ve ever seen a team this collectively cold.
The worst part is that a lot of these misses are on wide-open shots, which is frustrating, as NBA players are supposed to be able to knock those down.
That is why many are calling for Saben Lee to be recalled from the G-League, as he has been putting up eye-popping numbers and could provide this team with a spark.
Either way, after only three games, Lee has nothing left to prove in the G-League.
Detroit Pistons: Saben Lee is dominating the G-League
Putting up huge numbers in the G-League does not necessarily mean anything, as we’ve seen plenty of guys do it only to stink in the NBA.
There are fans making some hyperbolic claims about Lee right now, but the G-League is a lot like a backup QB in the NFL. The mystery is often better than the reality and there is always a reason a player is in the minor leagues or sitting on the bench.
But it’s hard to ignore what Saben Lee is doing, especially given the Pistons’ offensive struggles.
Lee is averaging 38.3 points in 38.6 minutes per game in his three games in the G-League so far. He’s also chipping in 8.7 assists and five rebounds, looking like a prime Oscar Robertson (joking) in the process.
Lee is shooting 55.7 percent overall and has hit 51.9 percent of his 3-point shots on nine attempts per game.
Obviously, he’s not going to do this in the NBA, but even a fraction of those numbers would be a huge boost to a Pistons’ bench that is floundering and cannot generate shots or make the ones they do get.
The players in front of Lee in the pecking order (Cory Joseph and Frank Jackson) have been absolutely terrible, so it’s not like Lee is being blocked by anyone else.
At this point, he has nothing left to prove in the G-League, where he is averaging nearly 40 a game, so it is time to bring him up to get some reps with his future teammates.
The Detroit Pistons have nothing to lose at this point and Lee might be able to provide the spark they need off the bench.