The Detroit Pistons may not have won the first in a series of two games against the Orlando Magic, but fans were able to see what one of their young owners can do. Pistons supporters have already caught a glimpse of Saben Lee’s talents, but on Sunday, the Vanderbilt product reached some career records.
On Friday, the team lost Delon Wright due to a grade two right groin sprain and placed Dennis Smith Jr. as the next starter. Smith took some time to find balance and Lee was ready to give the Pistons the boost they needed to cut Orlando’s leadership.
Detroit submitted Lee with 3:49 remaining in the first quarter and he gave the team the necessary jolt to keep its foot on the gas. The Pistons had an 11-2 run to reduce Magic’s 11-point lead to a two-point handicap at the end of the quarter.
In his first four minutes of play, he found fellow newcomer Saddiq Bey in an entry pass for a three to get the Pistons to continue their run to close the gap.
Then he showed his willingness to enter the painting on his own. In the second quarter, Lee drove to the open track, jumping his 6-2 frame over 6-11 Nikola Vucevic’s head, then tried to hit him. The ball ended up bouncing off the edge when Vucevic placed his hands on Lee’s chest.
“It was a failed attempt, so it was not good for the team,” said Lee after the game. “I don’t even remember, I’m sorry. But it was a difficult loss for us. So, I’m not too concerned with personal games. “
Not only did Lee give the Pistons an offensive boost, he gave them a defensive boost. He pushed the ball away from the Magic Chasson Randle’s guard, interrupting the Magic’s pace. Although Orlando regained possession of the ball, he ended in a failed mid-range jump and Detroit scored at the other end in a Josh Jackson dunk.
Lee ended up playing a 33-minute career record, ending the night with 12 points, five assists, four rebounds and three steals.
“I thought he did everything we asked him to do,” said Pistons coach Dwane Casey. “He distributed the basketball, defended his ass, hungry, kept the pace we needed, got people to kick. We didn’t do a good job of taking down shots when we look great. “
He could have done more assists in the night, but the team ended the night shooting 34 of their 91 attempts (37.4 percent in total) and 11 out of 40 in three.
“I thought he and Jerami (Grant) did a great job going in and kicking out and making sure we found the snipers,” said Casey. “Some nights we hit them, not today. Tonight we had some great looks. I thought Saddiq (Bey) had some great looks that he usually does and will do. But that is what I saw in Saben. He’s competitive, he’s tough, and the whole complexion of the game changed when he joined. “
The rookie, who spent a lot of time on the Jerry Stackhouse system in Vanderbilt, was expected to get things done quickly. Stackhouse served as Casey’s technical assistant with the Toronto Raptors, so there was some overlap in the terminology used. In November, Casey noted that while watching the movie with Lee, he would only need to say a few words before the newcomer recognized it because of the similarities.
Even with Lee’s big night, the Pistons have a lot to think about when it comes to the rookie. The 21-year-old has a two-way contract and can only play 50 games this season. So far, Lee has played nine games and has been inactive for 13 with the Pistons.
With the second half of the season starting after the March All-Star break, Casey and his team are keeping an eye on their days. Therefore, they will continue to evaluate Smith, as well as Frank Jackson (bidirectional) and Rodney McGruder.
“Dennis is still among the group we are going to evaluate,” said Casey. “We just need a state of stability with this group without injuries, it seems like every year has been something. He’s the next man to go up and Saben is taking advantage of it, as is Dennis.
“I would like to see what Frank can do there as a double and also Rodney. Rodney also did a good job with him. We have some people there who can play. A little unbalanced with all the injuries. This year is for that, find out what we have and compete at a high level. “