Thomas and Smacked

In an 83-92 loss to the Miami Heat that featured little offensive flow, fouls galore and 35 turnovers between the two teams there were a few bright spots for the Pistons in their first game this summer at the Thomas and Mack Arena.

The playas:

Austin Daye...DNP


DaJuan Summers...20 pts. 3 rbs.

I get the feeling DaJuan is playing just good enough to get himself traded. He is definitely at his best going to the basket where his size and strength allow him to draw fouls (7-8 FT). Steve Smith referred to him as a "tweener". I'm not sure why. DaJuan's a small forward, there's no hint of power forward in his game. He doesn't post up. His rebound numbers are marginal and he shoots a lot of threes. He shot a respectable 6-13 but had more turnovers (5) than rebounds.

Jonas Jerebko...DNP

Greg Monroe...20 pts. 6 rbs. 2 blks. 1 stl.

Greg needed this game. He showed his versatility in his shot selection with face-up jumpers, a turn-around jumper in the short corner, dunks, lay-ups and hook shots. He slowed down when he got the ball, tried to read the defense and make the appropriate move. He scored 20 and looked capable of more, but with many of the Pistons' point guards trying to showcase their skills in an effort to make an NBA roster he was missed on some pick-and-rolls and poor post entry passes. I don't know if the coaches are telling him to hound the ball 30 feet from the basket but he is recovering to his man too slow resulting in fouls and dunks for the opposition around the basket. He also has a bad habit of reaching when attempting to block or disrupt a shot. Instead of holding his arms straight up he lowers in a half-contest-half-shot-block move that always results in a foul. Greg needs a repeat performance or better next game and I think he'll get it. He seems to be settling down and getting more comfortable with the NBA game.

Terrico White...11 pts. 3 rbs 1 ast. 1 blk. 2 stls.

The Pistons' coaches wanted Terrico to be more aggressive this game and he was for spurts but at times I found myself wondering if he was still on the floor. His stat line looks pretty good and, again, he only committed one turnover but he shot 2-7 from the field and 1-4 from range after averaging 65% shooting from the field and 60% from range through the first three games. He had only one assist but he played almost exclusively at two guard. He still looks like a great second round value.

Other Notables:

Mac Koshwal...4 pts. 6 rbs. 1 ast. 3 stls.

Mac continues his roll as garbage man, cleaning up the boards and getting his hands in the passing lanes for steals. I am curious to see if he can put up similar numbers against tougher competition. He could be a great spot minutes, energy guy for a Pistons team that needs to add toughness.

Marquez Haynes...10 pts. 3 rbs. 2 asts. 1 blk.

Marquez was trying to play himself onto on NBA squad, flying all over the court, trying to dunk the ball over Miami's center. He was trying to get over-looked by shooting 2-8 from the field, 1-5 from range and dribbling out the shot clock on one possession. Shot an efficient 5-6 from the free-throw line and showcased his hustle.

Elijah Millsap..8 pts. 4 rbs. 1 ast.

Showed that he could shoot the jumper, which is important when you are trying to be successful in the NBA as a 6'6" guard-forward. He had a nice little crossover-dribble-to-jump-shot from about 20 feet out that showed he can do more than run the floor and get put-backs.