{"id":136750,"date":"2025-04-28T20:54:41","date_gmt":"2025-04-29T00:54:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=136750"},"modified":"2025-04-28T20:54:41","modified_gmt":"2025-04-29T00:54:41","slug":"pistons-second-option","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/04\/28\/pistons-second-option\/","title":{"rendered":"Pistons Must Find Reliable Second Option to Rescue Playoff Hopes"},"content":{"rendered":"

If there was one glaring concern for the Detroit Pistons<\/a> heading into the playoffs, it was their lack of a consistent second scoring option. Throughout the regular season, that role has been shared by committee, and in their 3-1 series deficit against the New York Knicks, the same uncertainty lingers.<\/p>\n

The Pistons have relied on their grit and disciplined offensive and defensive philosophies to stay competitive. But the difference between the two teams is stark when it\u2019s winning time. The Knicks have two clear closers: Jalen Brunson<\/a> and Karl-Anthony Towns<\/a>. In Game 4, they combined for 23 of New York\u2019s 30 fourth-quarter points, powering a narrow one-point victory. The Pistons need someone to step into that second-option role if they hope to get back in this series. The question is: who will it be?<\/p>\n

Pistons Must Find Reliable Second Option to Rescue Playoff Hopes<\/h2>\n

Tobias Harris Must Embrace Aggression as Pistons’ Second Option<\/h3>\n

One player who could fill the void is Tobias Harris<\/a>, who has shown flashes of being a reliable second option. Harris has been steady, shooting 45% from the field and 40% from three, averaging 15.8 points and 8.3 rebounds in the series.<\/p>\n

The issue isn\u2019t his efficiency \u2014 it\u2019s his aggressiveness, particularly in the second half. In Sunday\u2019s loss, Harris logged 15 second-half minutes but took just three shots. Across the four games, he\u2019s averaging<\/a> only 3.7 shot attempts after halftime. Given his shooting touch, the Pistons need Harris to hunt his shot more and assert himself when the game tightens.<\/p>\n

Dennis Schr\u00f6der<\/h3>\n

Dennis Schr\u00f6der<\/a>, acquired at the trade deadline, has been a perfect fit for the Pistons. His veteran presence has been crucial in the playoffs, providing a steady hand whenever the team has faced adversity. Schr\u00f6der has been efficient in the series, shooting 54% from the field and 61% from three.<\/p>\n

However, his passivity in Game 4 stood out. Despite averaging nine shot attempts over the first three games, Schr\u00f6der took just four shots in 26 minutes during Sunday\u2019s loss. With his efficiency, the Pistons could benefit from a more aggressive Schr\u00f6der, especially when the offense stalls late in games.<\/p>\n

Tim Hardaway Jr.<\/h3>\n

Last season, Tim Hardaway Jr.<\/a> lost his spot in the Dallas Mavericks\u2019 playoff rotation during their run to the NBA Finals. He\u2019s attacking the postseason this year with something to prove, but his results have been inconsistent.<\/p>\n

Hardaway has been the one starter outside of Cade Cunningham<\/a> unafraid to let it fly, averaging 12.5 shots per game. But his efficiency hasn\u2019t always followed: he\u2019s shooting just 38% from the field and 35.9% from three. Still, the ability is there, as shown by his 24-point outburst in Game 3. For the Pistons to stay alive, Hardaway must keep firing \u2014 and more importantly, find ways to stay hot.<\/p>\n

The Last Word<\/h3>\n

At this point in the series, hesitation is a luxury the Pistons can\u2019t afford. If the Pistons are going to climb back, it won\u2019t be by playing timid or passing up opportunities. It will take players stepping boldly into the spotlight, embracing the pressure, and trusting their work.<\/p>\n

Harris, Schr\u00f6der, and Hardaway Jr. have shown flashes. Now, they need to stay aggressive and leave no doubt. If the Pistons are going down, they need someone to step into the second option and go down firing without wondering what could have been. In the playoffs, fortune favors the fearless.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Photo credit: \u00a9 Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If there was one glaring concern for the Detroit Pistons heading into the playoffs, it was their lack of a consistent second scoring option. Throughout the regular season, that role has been shared by committee, and in their 3-1 series deficit against the New York Knicks, the same uncertainty lingers. The Pistons have relied on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5168,"featured_media":136779,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"1","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,10,62],"tags":[3965,252,287,343],"class_list":["post-136750","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-pistons","category-nba","tag-cade-cunningham","tag-dennis-schroder","tag-tim-hardaway-jr","tag-tobias-harris"],"modified_by":"Eamon Cassels, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136750","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5168"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=136750"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136750\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":136781,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136750\/revisions\/136781"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/136779"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=136750"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=136750"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=136750"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}