Former Pistons First-Rounder Struggling to Reach Early Expectations

Second-year Pistons guard Marcus Sasser landed praise from J.B. Bickerstaff after the first game against the Milwaukee Bucks.

Apr 6, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Marcus Sasser (25) shoots a jump shot against Brooklyn Nets forward Noah Clowney (21) during the first half at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images / Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

While the NBA preseason doesn’t count for much when it comes to the standings, the Detroit Pistons are using this time to assess where they are as a squad after a disappointing 14-68 season.

The stretch of games might have fans heavily focused on some of Detroit’s new additions, like Tobias Harris, Tim Hardaway Jr., Malik Beasley, and Ron Holland, but many are looking forward to seeing what some of the young players are bringing to the table after getting another offseason to develop.

Pistons’ second-year guard Marcus Sasser proved last season he belongs. While it’s typically easier for rookies on struggling teams to earn steady minutes, averaging nearly 20 minutes on the court per game as a first-year player is no easy feat.

Last year, Sasser made 71 appearances. He produced eight points per game on 43 percent shooting. He also knocked down 38 percent of his threes on three attempts per game.

Over the offseason, the Pistons made some key personnel changes. By bringing in some experienced veterans, that could leave some younger players seeing their playing time fade. It’s unclear if Sasser was in danger of losing his playing time or not, but it seems J.B. Bickerstaff is definitely intrigued with the former first-round pick.

“I thought [Sasser] was really good,” Bickerstaff said after the Pistons’ preseason opener against the Milwaukee Bucks.

“You go out there and have nine assists for a guy who is making the transition as a score-first guy. I thought he did a really good job of reading the game, and getting his teammates in the right spots, and getting the ball when they were open and ready to shoot or score. Defensively, he’s a bulldog. He plays physical defense, he gets through screens, he keeps guys in front of him.”

Coming off the bench for nearly 19 minutes, Sasser made four of his eight field goal attempts. While he went scoreless from three, the sophomore guard produced 12 points. In addition to his scoring, Sasser dished out nine assists, nearly locking in the double-double.

In Tuesday’s matchup against the Phoenix Suns, the second-year guard had a quiet showing in 11 minutes of action. He scored just three points on two shots from the field.

Friday’s rematch was a better result for the Pistons as a whole, but Sasser’s outing was quiet. The second-year guard didn’t appear on the court for the first three-quarters of action. In the fourth quarter, he logged nine minutes, scoring zero points on three shots.

As intriguing as Sasser was in the first game, he followed up with two questionable showings. A few preseason games won’t make or break Sasser’s role for next year, but his lack of playing time on Friday is at least a little concerning.

There is still plenty of time for Sasser to live up to his Game 1 self, which left Bickerstaff intrigued. At the moment, the initial comments and outlook don’t seem to be aging too well.

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