The Detroit Pistons will take on the Lakers tonight at home but may be without the services of Killian Hayes.
Hayes sprained his thumb and has been playing through it, though he seems to have aggravated the injury in all of the last three games.
After the embarrassing loss to the Warriors, I wrote that it might be time to sit Hayes for a few games to see if they can get that thumb back to full health. Given that it is on his dominant hand, it’s going to be difficult to overcome if he doesn’t get any time off.
The question is who is going to start in his place if he has to miss some time. Cory Joseph has been the primary backup to Hayes so far, but is he the best option?
The Pistons could also go with Frank Jackson, who has been hot of late or they could surprise everyone and throw Saben Lee into the mix, which would delight all of the Cory Joseph haters who think his minutes are why the Pistons are bad.
The Pistons could also go big and throw Hamidou Diallo in at the two, which might be their best option, especially if Isaiah Stewart is also out (he is listed as probable).
The choice seems obvious to me given how these guys are playing.
Frank Jackson should start for the Detroit Pistons with Killian Hayes out
If Hayes is out tonight vs. the Lakers, I’d like to see Frank Jackson get a shot at the starting lineup.
For one, Jackson has been hot of late, scoring in double digits in four of his last five games, including his 27 point outburst vs. the Warriors.
Jackson has the best complementary skill set with Cade Cunningham, as he can give Cade a target to kick out to when he gets doubled on dribble penetration.
Cunningham has a positive net rating with both Jackson (6.7) and Cory Joseph (1.4) but both Cade and Joseph need the ball in their hands to be effective, so they don’t need to spend a ton of time on the floor together.
The only argument against Frank is that it would leave the Pistons without much bench scoring, but the bench has not been the problem for Detroit, as they are the 2nd-highest scoring group in the league. It’s been their starters, so I’d like to see coach Casey go with more scoring in the starting unit if Killian Hayes has to sit.