The Detroit Pistons lost backup point guard Dennis Schroder to free agency, so they may have to count on much more from Marcus Sasser.
The Pistons’ offseason was thrown into disarray by the Malik Beasley investigation (which just keeps looking worse for him) that forced them to change plans right before free agency hit.
That led to a signing of Caris LeVert, who adds shot creation and scoring off the bench (if he can stay healthy) and a sign-and-trade of Simone Fontecchio to the Heat for Duncan Robinson.
Fans fumed at the 3-year deal Robinson got, but when you look at the details, it’s a clear home run for the Pistons.
Detroit hopes that the return of Jaden Ivey will be their biggest addition, but even with Ivey coming back, there are open minutes that someone is going to have to fill at the guard spot, and Trajan Langdon may have Marcus Sasser pegged for that role.
Even with Jaden Ivey back, Marcus Sasser should have a larger role for the Detroit Pistons
Dennis Schroder played 25 minutes per game as a backup for the Pistons last season, a number that almost certainly would have diminished with Jaden Ivey coming back, which is one of the reasons the Pistons saw Schroder as an expensive luxury.
Ivey will be pegged for some of those backup point guard minutes when Cade Cunningham is on the bench, but that still leaves a big hole where a veteran point guard used to be.
The Pistons still have time to make more moves, and they might try to add someone with more experience or could just thrust Sasser into sharing those duties with various players including LeVert and Ivey.
Pistons fans tend to obsess over the backup point guard position, but it is an important one, especially when you have two guys who are turnover prone handling the ball most of the time.
Ivey is not really a point guard and neither is Sasser, so the Pistons are rolling the dice a bit here, even if we are talking fewer than 20 minutes per game.
Sasser played well in the role he was given this season, but he wasn’t even a regular in the rotation and was a guy who looked for his own shot far more than to pass.
The Pistons could also be counting on Ausar Thompson to handle the ball at times, so they do have options, but it will be interesting to see if Detroit adds another body this offseason or if they are happy with the guards they have.