The NBA is all about opportunities and it's never easy to seize them, especially when you're in your first year in the league. Marcus Sasserinitially widely used by his coach before seeing his minutes gradually decrease, quickly understood this.
In the midst of a rollercoaster rookie season (7.2 points and 2.6 assists at 40% from 3-point range), the leader of the Pistons nevertheless distinguished himself Monday evening against the Bucks, signing one of the best matches of his very young career: 23 points in 26 minutes, 9/17 on the shoot and 5/5 on free throws.
A ball of energy to channel
A nice reminder of his qualities as a basketball player who, still without Cade Cunningham, was able to express himself freely and help Detroit to annoy Milwaukee for the second time in a row (without however succeeding in winning, due to a finished missed where the Michigan players “ stopped taking decisive actions “).
“ In defense, his ability to fight, to put his nose everywhere, even though he is the smallest on the pitch, is precious to us. He gives everything » appreciated Monty Williams, his trainer, after the fact. “ Offensively, he just did what he knows how to do. He is not afraid of anything, he will never refuse a shot. Sometimes I don't know if he's going to like it, but I know he's trying to score and his intentions are good. Then, its speed is different. When he reaches the paint, he can finish with his floater or his finishes near the rim. I thought he played with superb intensity. [hier] evening. »
Comfortable attacking and manipulating the Bucks defense, Marcus Sasser set fire to each of his entries into play, at mid-distance or near the circle, and playing as usual with a lot of energy.
“ You just have to have the right mentality » explains the person concerned, about his state of mind when he is called by his coach. “ You have to come in and be aggressive on each side, try to weigh in on defense and let the game come to me on offense, rely on my teammates. I feel like they did a good job of allowing me to be free, to find my shooting positions. You have to give them a lot of credit. »
Cut out for the role of sixth man?
Milwaukee seems, moreover, to be a team that succeeds well with Marcus Sasser because, before hitting them with 23 this Monday, he had planted 26 points on them at the beginning of November. Which remains, to this day, his scoring record.
These two meetings, in any case, allowed us to see that the 25th choice of the last Draft had the level to settle into the Pistons rotation, in particular thanks to his ability to create for his teammates as well as for himself. Enough to offer him, shortly, a role like Alec Burks? One of his mentors in the locker room and a player he gets along well with on the floor.
“ The presence [d’Alec Burks] is really good for him » admits Monty Williams, even if Marcus Sasser missed at the end of the game this Monday. “ This association is beneficial to us, because Alec knows how to give him instructions and calm him down. He himself would admit that Alec is a great help to him when they play together. »
| Marcus Sasser | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2023-24 | DET | 39 | 16 | 46.9 | 39.8 | 90.6 | 0.2 | 1.4 | 1.5 | 2.6 | 1.3 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 7.2 |
| Total | 39 | 16 | 46.9 | 39.8 | 90.6 | 0.2 | 1.4 | 1.5 | 2.6 | 1.3 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 7.2 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
