Game Recap/Notes: Game #67. Pistons 103 - Hornets 113. (15-52)
Another day another loss. We will survive this together friend.
Jaden Ivey:
Bit of a let-down game for Ivey. 16 points on 5-17 shooting and 4-4 from the line isn’t going to hack it especially when his 6 assists come at the expense of 7 turnovers. That said, this is the way I want to see him play the rest of the season. Including the free throws he had 19 shot equivalents which is the area we want him. There will be bad nights like this but we can live with the bad as long as it is done with aggression. He still had a number of nice plays and it is great to see him and Wiseman have such great chemistry so quickly.
I also want to make sure to point out that I feel as though Ivey has turned up the heat defensively. It has been awful for much of the season but tonight it seemed like he was everywhere, flying around the court. A great sign. So while this individual game was not good for him, this is the process we like.
Rodney McGruder:
Keeps doing his job. Hit a few shots inside the arc tonight as well to finish with 9 points on 4-9 shooting. He’s still a liability defensively due to his size and all the other caveats for why he’s the end of the bench but still, he’s done about as much as you could hope for since he was forced into the rotation due to injuries.
Isaiah Livers:
I’ve mentioned that Livers has not really stepped up the way the Pistons had hoped for since the Bey trade, tonight was a better night in that regard. While 13 points and 5 rebounds on 6-9 shooting doesn’t seem like a big night, he was just 1-3 from deep and several of his buckets were tough shots he created himself. We all love guys who never need to touch the ball but even if you are primarily a spot-up shooter you need at least some off the dribble pop and/or ability to create for yourself to really work as a starter. If he can put together games like this down the stretch he will make a good case to have him remain a real piece for the future.
Marvin Bagley:
Stunk it up. Only played 21 minutes, went 2-6 from the field and 2-2 at the line for 6 points. Had a couple of poor turnovers. Not a good outing for Bagley at all.
James Wiseman:
I’m not sure if this is more of a praise for Wiseman or a knock on Bagley but I think Wiseman may already be a more valuable player. 16 points on 8-12 from the field with 13 rebounds and a team-high +13 on the night. He continues to work well next to Ivey and in general his inside presence is excellent on the offensive end. It should be noted that despite getting 13 boards he was a bit underwhelming on the night rebounding as in several instances his poor positioning allowed the Hornets to get second-chance points but still. Wiseman has a long way to go defensively and needs to fill some things out on offense but he continues to produce about as well as we could’ve hoped. He is a long way from being a winning player but he doesn’t look fundamentally broken.
Eugene Omoruyi:
Another positive night for the 10-day mercenary. 9 points on 3-6 shooting with some positive defensive effort. He’s been a good addition and I see now reason why they wouldn’t keep him around until the end of the season, he’s playing well and the simple fact that he is a physical wing player fills such a gaping hole on the current roster that even if he’s a poor mans version of that archetype, it is valuable just for making the rotation make a bit more sense. I’d kind of like to see the starting lineup with him in over Bagley as well.
Jalen Duren:
Back from injury and coming off the bench. I wouldn’t worry about the bench thing right now as its probably just to allow him to come back slowly but he played just fine in his 21 minutes. 8 points on 4-8 from the field with 5 boards. Other than a couple of nifty finishes nothing really stood out about his night but it was pleasant to see him on the floor and looking totally unaffected by the injury.
Cory Joseph:
Played enough I shouldn’t ignore him. Joseph played 24 minutes and much of the 3rd quarter and finished as a +10 on the night behind 17 points on 6-12 shooting from the field (4-6 from the line) and 3 assists. My only hope is that this game doesn’t suddenly convince Casey that Joseph needs to play more. Please.
RJ Hampton:
More of the same. He hit a three and a couple of free throws to finish with 8 points and 3 boards but other than being a competent (and nothing more than competent) as a shooter it continues to be hard to see what Hampton brings to the table. He just doesn’t do that much.
Killian Hayes:
1 point. 0-6 from the field. Only played 19 minutes. Not good.