Monday night welcomed a matchup between two Eastern Conference playoff hopefuls as the Detroit Pistons traveled to Charlotte to face the Hornets. Much of the focus entering the game was focused on Andre Drummond vs. the Hornet front court sans Al Jefferson as Drummond is the most dominant rebounder in the NBA. A quick look at the stats revealed that the Pistons would dominate the glass and that would be their ticket to contending:

NBA Ranks Pistons Hornets Rebounds per Game 3rd 21st Rebound % 5th 21st 2nd Chance Points 2nd 26th

Well…that isn’t quite how things went. Drummond logged his fewest minutes of the season as he was in foul trouble throughout the second half and ended with just 9 points and 9 rebounds, only the second time all season he failed to reach double digit boards. The Hornets’ 57 team rebounds were the most all season, and the 14 offensive boards were also a season high. This was an absolute beat down inside for a team looking to establish a front court presence. Although the matchup inside was not too compelling, there was plenty to see on the wings.

The Curious Case of PJ Hairston

PJ had his best offensive start of the year, yet the former Tar Heel ended with yet another disappointing overall performance. On the year, Coach Steve Clifford has shown a certain stubbornness in keeping Hairston in the starting lineup, despite at times disastrous results. As of last night, there are six players total who play at least 16 mpg and score less than PJ Hairston at 4.1 ppg. Tayshaun Prince, Kevin Garnett, Josh McRoberts, Joakim Noah, Alonzo Gee, and Larry Nance Jr. Not exactly the guys Steph Curry is tracking on League Pass at night to pick up new moves. Tonight, Clifford seemed to be onto something however. With a made three and the below smooth And-1, Hairston had his highest scoring first quarter within the first eight minutes.

Unfortunately, he joined Andre Drummond in the foul trouble category. If defense is Steve Clifford’s reason for Hairston being on the floor, he quickly is losing that argument. After getting torched two games ago by Klay Thompson for 13 points in less than five minutes, he again struggled on that end of the floor against the Pistons. PJ found himself out of position on two of his three first quarter fouls which forced Clifford to bench him for the rest of the half. Before that third foul, the below plays also happened. In the first, he has the choice to leave Marcus Morris, a 28% three point shooter, to stop Reggie Jackson barreling towards the hoop. Hairston chooses to stay on the edge of the paint, yielding the Pistons an easy two points.

In the next clip, he is in the proper rotation for the ball being two passes away from Morris. However, he doesn’t move into the secondary position once the ball is swung to just one pass away from Morris. Seeing this, Ersan Ilyasova wisely bounces it over to an open Morris who drains the uncontested three.

If PJ can start hitting some threes with consistency, his role may be salvaged. If not, the defensive woes will catch up to him and he might see his minutes dwindle well before MKG returns. The Hornets decided not to pick up the relatively minuscule 2016-17 $1.25 million team option for Hairston before the season started, so don’t expect too much loyalty if he continues to struggle.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope

I was excited to watch Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and the added match ups with Batum only made it more intriguing. Since leaving Georgia, he has not made too much noise, but after looking up what Pistons fans have to say, I was looking forward to his defense and motor, and to watching if he could get to the basket, especially after his best game of the year against the Lakers when he dropped 22 points and recorded four steals.

On the season, only James Harden and Jimmy Butler are playing more minutes per game than KCP in the entire league. This volume of minutes has kept his offensive numbers somewhat respectable. With a PER at just 11.64, (33rd among qualified shooting guards), his per 40 numbers are not ideal for a third year lottery pick (It is not like the 2013 draft was full of all-stars and KCP is the only one still finding his way). After making 84 threes in his final year at Georgia, he was drafted 8th overall as one of the better shooters in the 2013 draft. This season he is just 28-96, hitting at a worse % than 6’-11” Demarcus Cousins, who only added the three-point shot this year.

The Pistons drafted him knowing his offense was not refined, but were looking at him as a two way player who would bring it on the defensive end. The numbers back up this assertion as he continues to be a solid on ball defender, holding opponents to well under their average shooting %, as well as averaging over a steal/game for his career.

Maybe the minutes are adding up early in this season (47% shooting in the first half of games/33% shooting in the second half of games), and the second leg of the back-to-back took its toll, but KCP did not have a great night. All three of his steals were the results of bad passes where he took advantage and displayed his quick hands in snatching the ball in a 50-50 scenario. It is clear that he has a high defensive IQ as he was well positioned for these turnovers and quickly turned them into scoring opportunities on the other end. However, other times he was caught out of position or just did not display the effort you would expect. Halfway through the third quarter, KCP was guarding Marvin Williams. When Marvin swung the ball to Batum, KCP stayed outside instead of getting back in position after reaching for the pass. When Batum shot, KCP made no effort to impede Williams from going to the glass, and Marvin just jogged towards the basket for an easy offensive rebound and layup.

Monday was just one game, and it is clear that the Pistons believe in Caldwell-Pope as they are giving him 37 minutes a game. No one wants him to become a consistent scoring option more than the Pistons. He will continue to get his opportunities as there is no real offensive threat behind him, and he is a plus defender.

Bench Force 1

The Hornets bench came to play yet again. The second quarter has been the highest scoring period for the Hornets, and this is when Jeremy Lin, Jeremy Lamb, Frank Kaminsky, and Spencer Hawes are seeing their most playing time. This held true last night with Hornets scoring 34 points in the 12 minutes before halftime. I cannot get enough of the Hornets ball movement, and the pass below from Hawes to Lamb is just one of many examples.

With Hawes on the left block, Kaminsky, Lin, and Marvin Williams all move away from the ball to clear out the lane. This allows Lamb to beat his man (Caldwell-Pope) and use Hawes as a screener despite Hawes having the ball. A gorgeous wrap around pass gives the Hornets an easy two.

There is never enough love for a Frank Kaminsky three off the dribble. Can we call him a point forward with that kind of step back?

Steve Blake on the Rise?

Reggie Jackson is quickly emerging as one of the bright players in the NBA. Fresh off Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors, he had a down game in Charlotte. Steve Blake came off the bench and filled in nicely for the second game in a row. A career 38% shooter from deep, Steve Blake is having his worst shooting season, making just 23% of his threes before Monday’s game. That may be about to change. These last two games (5-7 from three) mark the first time he has converted on multiple three pointers in consecutive outings. The Pistons offense is led by Reggie Jackson, but if Steve Blake can return to form in his 13th season, the second unit may be able to take a bit of the load off the starters.

Header Photo: Chuck Burton, AP