With the 2010-11 NBA Preseason officially over, it's time to take one last look at player expectations for the season ahead. The Pistons preseason started off in the worst way possible, losing Jonas Jerebko for the season and Terrico White for the early part of his rookie season. Beyond that, there were other, more positive storylines (highlighted by Austin Daye) that bear repeating. That said, hit the jump for the final verdict on the Pistons Player Previews for the 2010-11 NBA season. Our season hits Wednesday with a win over the New Jersey Nets. Book it.
Terrico White (player preview):
White broke his right foot during the Pistons preseason opener against the Miami Heat. Terrico will be sitting out another four weeks for recovery before he can begin rehabbing. It's safe to assume we may not see White on the court until January at the earliest... and that court may be in the D-League, not the NBA.
DaJuan Summers (player preview) Preseason Averages:
15.1 mpg | 6.1 PPG | 40.0 FG% | 35.7 3% | 80.0 FT% | 1.6 RPG | .4 APG | .5 SPG | .1 BPG | .6 TO
The only thing that really changed for DaJuan Summers during the preseason is that the depth chart is less, well, deep from where he sits now. With Jerebko out and McGrady chained to the bench, Summers saw increased burn in the last two weeks. Sadly, he didn't capitalize-- despite a nice performance or two, this preseason showed more of the same from DaJuan.
Chris Wilcox (player preview):
Wilcox logged only nine minutes this preseason despite the open opportunity at power forward. His Hamstring is still sore, as it was last season, and there isn't any clear indication that it's improving. The consensus about Wilcox in our preview is that he's trade bait at this point, nothing more, or cap relief for the Pistons themselves. This preseason did nothing to change that.
Tracy McGrady (player preview):
Two words: "tired legs".
Austin Daye (player preview) Preseason Averages:
28.1 MPG | 15.9 ppg | 47.1 FG% | 50.0 3% | 70.6 FT% | 5.6 RPG | 1.5 APG | .8 SPG | .9 BPG | 1.2 TO
Austin Daye was, without a doubt, the top story of the preseason for the Pistons. While there are far too many positive things to say about the kid's performance in these 8 games, his three point shooting stands out. 50% from outside is unreal, and even more exciting if you note that he attempted 34 outside shots in this preseason.
Jason Maxiell (player preview) Preseason Averages:
21.2 MPG | 5.4 PPG | 45.5 FG% | 0.0 3% | 58.3 FT% | 4.2 RPG | 0.0 APG | 1.0 SPG | 1.4 BPG | 1.6 TO
Maxiell missed the last three preseason games with a sore knee, but should be ready to return for the season opener this week. Despite decent burn, Maxiell didn't exert himself in the preseason to warrant consideration for first-big-off-the-bench status, let alone a starting nod in Jerebko's absense.
Greg Monroe (player preview) Preseason Averages:
25.3 MPG | 7.8 PPG | 40.8 FG% | 0.0 3% | 71.0 FT% | 4.9 RPG | 1.9 APG | 1.5 SPG | .4 BPG | 2.0 TO
Monroe had a terrible preseason, pretty much across the board. He shot poorly, he turned the ball over a lot, he didn't rebound well and he looked completely out of place on the court. The only consolation I can take in the abysmal preseason Monroe had-- is that DeMarcus Cousins had a really bad preseason too. Actually, that really doesn't make me feel better at all.
Jonas Jerebko (player preview)
A moment of silence...
Wlil Bynum (player preview) Preseason Averages:
30.7 MPG | 10.3 PPG | 48.8 FG% | 36.4 3% | 78.3 FT% | 3.2 RPG | 5.0 APG | .8 SPG | .2 BPG | 2.7 TO
What started with vintage Will Bynum ended with injury, which one could suggest is soon becoming the definition of "vintage Will Bynum". Up until he sat out with a sore hamstring, Bynum distributed well, scored efficiently and added serious range to his game, converted at a hopeful 36.4% from the three point line. If Bynum maintains his range improvements into the season, it'll be tough for Rodney Stuckey to maintain his starting gig. Not, however, if Rodney plays as well as he did this preseason...
Ben Wallace (player preview) Preseason Averages:
19.6 MPG | 3.7 PPG | 63.2 FG% | 0.0 3% | 28.6 FT% | 6.3 RPG | 1.3 APG | 1.1 SPG | 0.3 BPG | 1.0 TO
The Benaissance continued in the preseason, although Ben logged fewer minutes than he did in the last regular season. If we had any other viable options at center, this kind of playing time could be sustainable for Ben throughout the rest of his contract. Or he could pull a Mutombo and play until he's 50.
Charlie Villanueva (player preview) Preseason Averages:
22.9 MPG | 12.3 PPG | 44.9 FG% | 39.1 3% | 78.9 FT% | 3.9 RPG | 0.6 APG | 0.7 SPG | 0.7 BPG | 1.3 TO
Honestly, Charlie had a pretty solid preseason. He seemed to be more committed to defense and feeling more natural about his offense. He started slow, but picked up the pace and hit hard for the last four of seven preseason games he played. If there's one thing Charlie needs to continue to work on, it's rebounding. His defense wasn't as bad as it has been, but his rebounding must improve.
Richard Hamilton (player preview) Preseason Averages:
22.2 MPG | 8.0 PPG | 38.6 FG% | 30.8 3% | 90.9 FT% | 1.8 RPG | 3.0 APG | 0.3 SPG | 0.0 BPG | 1.7 TO
If fans were looking for a return to form from Richard Hamilton going into this season, he gave them no hope with his preseason play.
Tayshaun Prince (player preview) Preseason Averages:
26.7 MPG | 9.1 PPG | 47.3 FG% | 55.6 3% | 63.6 FT% | 3.6 RPG | 2.7 APG | 0.3 SPG | 0.1 BPG | 1.0 TO
Despite a serious spike in perimeter shooting, this preseason was same-old/same-old for Tayshaun Prince. And this is a great thing-- seeing Tayshaun fully healed and back-to-normal is precisely what this team needs. Whether that'll benefit this roster or another remains to be seen, but either way, a productive and healthy Tayshaun will make for a better Pistons team.
Ben Gordon (player preview) Preseason Averages:
25.5 MPG | 10.8 PPG | 43.1 FG% | 31.8 3% | 95.8 FT% | 2.1 RPG | 2.3 APG | 0.4 SPG | 0.0 BPG | 2.4 TO
Funny, but "Fully Healed" Ben Gordon appears to look just like "Fully Injured" Ben Gordon. If this is what Detroit can expect out of Gordon this season, our win projection could dip back into the 20s...
Rodney Stuckey (player preview) Preseason Averages:
28.0 MPG | 16.1 PPG | 47.4 FG% | 15.4 3% | 90.2 FT% | 3.0 RPG | 4.8 APG | 1.0 SPG | 0.0 BPG | 3.0 TO
Rodney Stuckey had an excellent preseason, overshadowed only by the solid play of Austin Daye. Stuckey was scoring the ball efficiently, getting to the line, converting at a high rate, etc. Rodney was finally doing the things that he's supposed to be good at-- and doing them well. Let's hope to see his passing numbers improve once he's got a set lineup to play with, as well as a dip in those turnovers. If he can improve his passing and maintain this type of efficiency from the floor, I personally don't care if that 3-point shot never develops.
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Detroit's season begins Wednesday in New Jersey. Jersey will be without Troy Murphy, and rookie Derrick Favors doesn't look ready enough to help them win. Let's start this season off with a bang, yeah? After New Jersey, wins will not be easy to come by...