Very good observations from the game 3 by Justin Rogers of Full Court Press:

- Stuckey has an impressive knack for getting open for easy shots without the ball. That’s a veteran skill and it’s important to note how well he does it already.

- Sammy Mejia is making a case to make the 15-man roster and at this point I think he will make it. He probably won’t see time with the Pistons unless there is an injury, but Mejia’s all-round game, hustle and defense will be worth investing a spot for him on the developmental roster.

- It’s nice to see Arron Afflalo getting to the line, but for the third straight game he’s really struggled with his shot early. Afflalo was known as a great mid-range shooter with a quick release at UCLA, so you have to believe these struggles are temporary.

- What looked like a tale of two halves really was a difference in Rodney Stuckey’s approach before and after halftime. Stuckey was very conservative in the first half, rarely driving, deferring to teammates and with little help on the offensive end, the Pistons only scored 25 points in the first two quarters. The second half saw Stuckey taking it hard to the hole often and the Wizards couldn’t do much to stop him.

- Cheikh Samb really struggled today just confirming that he’s still quite far from being able to contribute at the NBA level.

Full text is here

I still think that Samb would be better served by staying in USA and spending time with Arnie Kander and in NBDL to build up strength and get experience playing against tougher opposition. If he goes back to Spain, there is no guarantee that he would be able to make the majors. Playing in Spain in 2-nd or 3-rd tier league won’t get Samb anywhere since he will be playing against the extremely weak opposition.

Also, a bit worrysome that the “Junior Pistons” resembled the regular team sort of sleepwalking for the 3 quarters and then revving it up in the 4th to win the game. Hopefully it is really the reflection of Stuckey’s strategy of deferring in the beginning and getting more assertive as game progressed. Also, schedule and multitude of games and scrimmages with little breaks may have something to do with it. But it is something to watch for.

Lets begin with the home papers.

Krista Jahnke of the Free Press writes:

“…third-year forward Jason Maxiell is hungry. Perhaps both literally and figuratively. He volunteered to come to Vegas when he could have been vacationing. And he showed up some 30 pounds lighter than usual.

He led the Pistons in scoring with 22 points Saturday, and only four of those came on dunks. He went 8-for-11 at the troublesome free-throw line.”

And that is what we have expected from Maxiell all along. Now, if he could just keep making his free throws…

Full article is here: Maxiell, rookies play big in Pistons’ win

Our favorite writer Chris McCoskey has this take on the game:

“Pistons president Joe Dumars has a very specific to-do list for this summer league session.

He wants to see if center Cheikh Samb and swingman Sammy Mejia can win a spot on the Pistons’ 15-man roster next season and be candidates to play heavy minutes with their new D-League affiliate in Fort Wayne.

He wants to give first-round picks Arron Afflalo and Rodney Stuckey all the minutes they can handle to prepare for a spot in the regular rotation next season.

All four players gave a strong first impression on Saturday, helping the Pistons rally out of a 10-point hole in the fourth quarter and beat the Philadelphia 76ers, 91-89, in overtime.”

Full article: Stuckey gets first NBA lesson

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