The Pistons struggled to get anything going in their second straight loss in Cleveland on Monday night until their bench unit came in. During that time, Marcus Sasser showed that he can make an impact by scoring a quick 7 points in just 3 minutes and forcing multiple turnovers. If the Pistons’ struggles continue, especially with outside shooting, Sasser can be a possible solution.
Marcus Sasser is worthy of some minutes
Throughout the entire playoffs, the Pistons have failed to generate efficient offense without Cade Cunningham. None of their other ball handlers has been able to reliably create for themselves or others, but Sasser could be a different story. Since entering the league, Sasser has been known as a skilled guard with a deep scoring arsenal and potent three-point shooting.
His performance, however brief, in Game 4 showcased his ability to fix Detroit’s biggest woes. Sasser can not only hit threes off the catch or off the dribble, but he’s also capable of leveraging closeouts to attack the rim. With that dual scoring ability, Sasser can open up more opportunities for himself and his teammates.
On the other end, Sasser also holds up his own, especially when the Pistons defense is being aggressive. Sasser is great at pressuring ball handlers to force turnovers - exactly where the Pistons as a whole thrive. He could even be an option to throw at Donovan Mitchell, considering the Pistons don’t have any other answers for him.
Sasser makes sense in Detroit's rotation
With the Pistons lacking shooting and being overly reliant on Duncan Robinson, it makes sense to give Sasser some run. In fact, Sasser shot an even better percentage from 3-point range than Robinson this season - although on much less attempts since he received less playing time.
Sasser often gets the unfortunate mark of being a tweener between positions. He's not a good enough playmaker to be a true point guard and not big enough to defend most shooting guards. But the Cavaliers could actually be a good matchup for him, especially if he is sharing the court with Cade Cunningham or Daniss Jenkins.
Both Cunningham and Jenkins provide good size at the point guard spot, so they could allow Sasser to take on a smaller matchup. The Cavaliers often rely on Donovan Mitchell to generate offense, and he won't have a huge size advantage over Sasser. Getting hunted on pick-and-rolls by James Harden could be an issue, but Sasser also has the quickness to stunt and recover.
If the Pistons offense gets to desperate levels again, their easiest solution for injecting some life is just waiting on the bench. Only time will tell if Marcus Sasser gets his deserved opportunity.
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