76ers vs. Pistons grades/recap 2/1/14

Detroit – A

Philadelphia is pretty bad, but Detroit dominated from, practically, start to finish. One thing that was a bit worrisome is that Philadelphia is great at taking advantage of teams that are slow at getting back on defense or are a little lazy, and Detroit has shown both of those bad qualities this year. Fortunately, Detroit didn’t let the 76ers play the kind of game that they wanted to play. They played Detroit’s game, and when the Sixers did have a chance to play the style that they are used to, Detroit still just did it better than them.

Detroit lost Stuckey during the game, due to dizziness, but this allowed them to play their best lineup: Jennings, KCP, Singler, and two of our bigs (Smith, Monroe, Drummond). Detroit looked spectacular while this lineup was on the court. The lanes were open for the incredible passing of Smith and Monroe, and with Singler and KCP on the court, there were players who understood how and where to cut. The defense also looked great. This is the lineup that should probably start and should get a majority of the minutes.

Maybe the most impressive part of the game is that Detroit never allowed Philadelphia to get back into the game. Even against bad teams, that’s impressive. The Pistons held on, 113-96.

Bynum – B-

Bynum kind of just played a very Bynum-like game. He did do a bit better at finding teammates, but he still forced the issue a lot. Fortunately, the 76ers are pretty bad on defense, and Bynum was able to play a decent game. He finished with 6 points and 6 assists.

Jennings – B-

Jennings was pretty quiet. It was actually surprising to find that he shot 17 times. Some of his bad shots were due to the shot clock running out and weren’t his fault.

Even with Brandon’s shooting, he still seemed to do a good job of keeping everybody on the team involved.

As always, Brandon’s defense can be shaky, but after a few early disappointments, he was able to contain the penetration that he had been giving up earlier.

One thing, no matter if you like Jennings or not, is that he will stick up for his teammates. KCP got hit in the face by a basketball after the play was clearly over, and Jennings had KCP’s back from the second it touched him. He was ready to throw down. He finished with 20 points.

Stuckey –

Stuckey didn’t play well, but he was also dizzy. He took himself out of the game. It appeared to just be a cold of some sort.

KCP – A+

KCP was one of the most important players to Detroit’s success against the 76ers. He prevented a ton of fast breaks, just from getting back on defense. He also did a fantastic job of hounding Philadelphia’s opposing guards. He did well at getting to open spots on the floor, too. This was one of KCP’s most complete games this year.

Another thing that is impressive with KCP is that he doesn’t seem to let anything get to him. He got hit by the ball thrown by Turner (the ball didn’t hit him hard), but he didn’t react. He just kind of takes things as they come. Seems very mature for his age. He finished with 12 points.

Singler – A+

Singler was on fire. Even the shots that he missed were extremely close, but, as always, Singler’s prime importance to the team was that he did all of the small things, and he did them well.

One of those small things that he did fantastically tonight was that he read where the ball was coming off of the rim very well. He was able to react and get into position quite a few times before the opponent could, and this small skill allowed him to grab five offensive rebounds. He finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds.

Smith – B

Smith had a very quiet game. He was a ready and willing passer, but he didn’t pass to the point of where Philly didn’t have to worry about him.

He did have a few too many turnovers, but he played a very complete game, and he was engaged on defense for almost the entire night (it lacked a bit when it was a 20+ lead). He finished with 9 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, and 4 steals.

Monroe – A+

This was Greg’s best game that he has had in a while. He was able to take advantage of Philly’s poor defense, and his footwork dominated them. He was extremely active on both offense and defense. He did have four turnovers, but he also snagged four steals. If Greg has more games like this, Detroit will either be holding onto him, or they will be getting a fantastic return, if they did trade him. He finished with 21 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 steals.

Harrellson – B

Harrellson had a few nice defensive plays. He was mostly a non factor on offense, but he does help spread the floor, and it’s tough to measure that on the stat sheet. Even though he was ice cold, he still seemed to have a positive impact on the game. He finished with 0 points but 5 rebounds.

Drummond – A+

This was one of Drummond’s better games. He did a great job of throwing his huge body around, and the 76ers seemed to be uncomfortable in even challenging him. He was getting position and making them pay for their lack of size.

Drummond also did a good job of protecting the rim. He managed to pick up 5 blocks. Honestly, he could have had more, but he is still a step slow on some of his rotations. This led to him picking up some fouls, instead of blocks, but that can’t go without saying that he has made huge strides this year. He finished with 22 points 14 rebounds, as well as 5 blocks.

The Pistons now improve to 19-27 and travel to take on the Heat in Miami on Monday.

-James Makula