Saturday, March 13, 2010

Bynum Flourishing At Point

Pistons guard Will Bynum is now the team's starter at the point indefinitely in place of the injured Rodney Stuckey. Bynum has excelled at running the team's offense and setting up his teammates, never more apparent than last night's win against the Washington Wizards when he recorded a career-high 20 assists.

It was the first time a Piston dished out 20 assists since Isiah Thomas had 21 on April 12, 1985. Bynum had eight assists in the first quarter and 10 before even taking his first shot. In fact, he told reporters in a highly-spirited post-game chat that he wanted to chase the franchise record of 25 but that he didn't want to force the issue.

It'll be interesting to see how the Pistons will respond with their backcourt rotations once Stuckey returns. It may or may not be this season, but John Kuester, Pistons Head Coach, will have some major decisions to make. The knock on Stuckey all year is that, while a scoring-machine, he has lacked the ability to truly conquer the point guard position.

Bynum is a restricted free agent this summer. It's not likely Detroit will let him get away, and the team will have to consider using Bynum as the primary point guard if he continues to demonstrate this kind of playmaking ability.

Steve St-Pierre
Sports Writer
In Play! Magazine
sstpierre@inplaymagazine.com


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