The Detroit Pistons have had their share of “hidden gems” over the years, players who were vital but who didn’t get much attention around the league.
Guys like Vinnie Johnson and Tayshaun Prince immediately stick out, as does Lindsey Hunter, players who were key parts of championship teams but didn’t always get the accolades of their star teammates.
Detroit may have another one blossoming in Simone Fontecchio, a role player on a team-friendly contract who has already shown he can play.
It was Fontecchio’s name I expected to find in a recent Bleacher Report article about the NBA’s “hidden gems,” and was surprised to find guard Marcus Sasser instead.
Will Marcus Sasser be a key player for the Detroit Pistons?
Sasser’s rookie season was really broken into two parts: The first part was the portion of the season when he couldn’t miss, when he threatened to be the first rookie ever in the 50/40/90 club.
In the second part, Sasser couldn’t hit water if he fell out of a boat, going into a lengthy shooting slump after All-Star break that submarined his overall numbers.
He was still one of the Pistons’ best 3-point shooters (though that is not saying much) and at least put himself into the conversation to be one of the first guards off the bench next season.
But will he be?
The veteran additions of Malik Beasley and Tim Hardaway Jr. won't help his case, nor will his inability to play point guard. There aren’t many examples of 6-foot-2 gunners thriving around the league, so Sasser will have to break the trend towards long, two-way wings.
He might get some run as the backup point guard, as the Pistons don’t really have one, but he would have to improve mightily, as he was at his best making plays for himself, not his teammates.
Sasser also needs to become more than a pest on the defensive end. He played decent on-the-ball last season, but for him to get in the guard rotation, he has to show he can harass ballhandlers and be a guy who is more than just a spark on offense.
He could be buried in the depth chart early, but will get a chance to defend and shoot his way out.
Is Sasser a “hidden gem” who can be a 6th Man of the Year type off the bench? Another Lindsey Hunter? Another Microwave Johnson? I wouldn’t rule it out, but I also wouldn’t rule out Sasser being on a different team by the end of next season either.