Empty the Bench

Detroit Pistons rookie guard Rodney Stuckey had a moment Tuesday night in the Pistons’ closeout victory over the Orlando Magic. Actually, he had a few moments.

Drafted 15th overall in last June’s NBA draft out of Eastern Washington, the 6-5 Stuckey suddenly became one of the most important players on Detroit’s roster after All-Star PG Chauncey Billups suffered a strained hamstring early on in Game 3. Billups, of course, ended up sitting out the rest of that game, as well as Games 4 and 5, leaving the Pistons with just an unproven rookie and a 37-year-old veteran in Lindsey Hunter to hold down the fort in Billups’ stead.

Extra advantage Orlando Magic, or so it would seem.

Fortunately for Detroit they have a small forward in Tayshaun Prince who’s fully capable of bringing the ball up the court, calling out the set, and getting it in motion. For their part, the Magic are terribly thin at PG with erratic Jameer Nelson starting and foul-prone Keyon Dooling backing him up. (It’s on GM Otis Smith to address that situation in the offseason.) If this was any other team still alive in the postseason, they likely would have better exploited Billups’ absence than the Magic did.

Rodney Stuckey Photo Credit: Icon SMI

And then the answer to the two unknown questions was revealed: yes, Hunter still has enough left in the tank to nag on defense and frustrate on offense with unlikely triples. And, yes, Rodney Stuckey was up to the challenge of stepping into the starting lineup midway through a closely contested playoff series.

Stuckey let the game come to him and rarely forced anything, committing no turnovers in just over 33 minutes. He got his teammates involved and didn’t worry as much about his own shot… until his team needed him to. He drove hard to the hole without a care in the world, drew fouls, and made big free throws down the stretch.

Sounds a lot like somebody else on the Pistons.

More on Rodney Stuckey’s big game for the Detrot Pistons after the break…

After his 19-point performance in relief of Billups in Game 3, Stuckey didn’t fare as well three days later in his first ever postseason start. Early foul trouble (and perhaps a few jitters) were more prohibitive to his output than anything else; he was limited to just 22 minutes and finished with 6 points, 3 assists, and 28% shooting. Tayshaun Prince saved the game, however, with a running hook as the fourth-quarter clocked agonizingly ticked down to under 10 seconds, a shot that proved to be the difference.

Totally different story back home in Detroit.

Stuckey again picked up two quick fouls after nailing a few early jumpers and looking strong out of the gate. Coach Flip Saunders had no choice but to sit him for extended minutes, but once Stuckey checked back in he was measured, disciplined, and focused. His 6 assists are the most yet of his postseason career, and the zero turnovers helped enable the Detoit Pistons set a new NBA playoffs record for fewest turnovers in a game (3). On the night, Stuckey had 15 points, 6 assists, 50% FG, 3 boards, 2 steals, and 5-6 FT in 33:12 minutes. (By the way, he’s now 27-28, or 96%, from the free-throw line in the ‘08 playoffs.)

Two specific plays stand out to me—both involved Stuckey driving into to the teeth of the Orlando Magic defense and taking it to Dwight Howard like it was an undersized point guard, not a hulking manchild, standing there between him and the basket. The first time Stuckey blew by Jameer Nelson, leaped, and double-clutched as Howard went for the block but got nothing but body. Two free throws. Stuckey didn’t draw a foul the next time he met Superman in the lane, instead floating an arcing teardrop over Howard’s outstretched tree trunk of an arm, off the high glass, and through for two.

It was a huge performance by a relatively unheralded rookie (Stuckey was recently named to the All-NBA Rookie Second Team), but neither he, his teammates, or his head coach seem surprised:

Lindsey Hunter:

“We don’t consider him a rookie anymore,” veteran guard Lindsey Hunter said. “The (regular) season’s over with. It was just a fabulous job taking over the game with his poise, his willingness to make the big play. The kid just has some intangible things you can’t teach. That’s what makes him special.”

Flip Saunders:

“When we drafted him, as we all said, he has a chance to be special.” Saunders said on It Is What It Is with Sean Baligian, on WDFN-AM (1130). “Unless you’re around him, you don’t understand really how big he is – you know, he’s 6-5, 205, 210 (pounds), so he’s a bigger-type point guard. He made big plays in the fourth quarter. There hasn’t been too many times, I think, anyone has been in a playoff situation, where you’re coming down the stretch, and you’re just giving the ball to your point guard, letting him run pick-and-rolls and trying to create for your team.”

The Man Himself:

“Just because I went to a small school doesn’t mean nothing. I know I can play, man. Nothing’s hard for me,” Stuckey said. “That’s why Joe Dumars drafted me. That’s why I’m here. I’m not scared, you know what I mean? That’s what I’m here to do. Chauncey gets hurt and I’ve got to be ready to be in these situations and play just like I did tonight.”

You never want an All-Star point guard to suffer any kind of injury, big or small, in the postseason. The Detroit Pistons certainly will not beat either the Boston Celtics or Cleveland Cavaliers in the Conference Finals without Chauncey Billups, who should be at or close to full strength after this extended break. But maybe his absence was a blessing in disguise.

Rodney Stuckey, Pistons protege, now has a two playoff starts, a playoff victory on the road, and a closeout game under his belt. That could prove invaluable as the Pistons’ postseason march continues.

Related: Rodney Stuckey, Detroit Pistons, Chauncey Billups, Dwight Howard