Tayshaun Prince, SF, Detroit Pistons
Prince still has those long arms on defense and the ability to give you a little bit of everything on offense, but he’s contributing just a little bit less of everything for a confused Detroit team. His shooting is cold (41.6 percent after consistently hitting around 46 percent to 48 percent for his career), but the non-scoring numbers that get at the 31-year-old’s activity level are more worrisome — and perhaps indicate age is finally catching up to him. Prince’s assists, rebounds and free throws are all way down, and he just hasn’t been as dynamic a presence on defense this season.
Some of this is due to the context in Detroit, where rookie guard Brandon Knight has added yet another ball-handler with whom everyone must share, Greg Monroe is snagging boards and assists all over the place and the team is struggling badly in general.
Prince is on a reasonable contract (four years, $28 million), and he provides a veteran presence. But he’s also standing in the way of some young guys, especially Austin Daye, and he’d be more valuable in a limited role on a good team.http://nba-point-forward.si.com/2012/01/20/some-failing-to-live-up-to-expectations/
