Player Preview: Rodney Stuckey, Bringing Fire
Rodney Stuckey feels like a player from the 1980s. He cares not for you efficiency metrics and 3-point spacing. He just wants to dribble the ball to the hoop and get buckets.
While that might not be the most sought-after talent across the NBA, it’s exactly what the Indiana Pacers need this season.
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In fact, it’s something that the Pacers franchise has lacked for virtually its entire history in the NBA. It’s two guards have been more talented — from Reggie and Stephen Jackson to Paul George and Lance Stephenson — but they have rarely had that head-down, get-out-my-way mentality.
That is what Stuckey will bring to the team this year.
The question is whether he is still any good at it.
Early in his NBA life, Stuckey at times looked like a mini Dwyane Wade, hellbent on getting to the cup or the line, and using his small yet brick-house solid physique to absorb contact and making defenses pay. He dribbled the ball a lot, got into the paint a lot, and got to the line a lot.
His player efficiency rating (P.E.R.) improved each of his first four seasons, hitting an impressive 18.4 in 2010-11 as his usage rate sat around 25%. He had used a lot of possessions since he stepped in the league, but he was becoming even less bashful after his first years.
It wasn’t really helping the Detroit Pistons win many games, however, and Stuckey became increasingly secondary, then tertiary, as the team shifted focus towards talented big men Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond. By the end, Stuckey’s style and on-court attitude didn’t fit in with the team’s strategy.
I’m not going to sit here and pretend I’ve watched dozens and dozens of Pistons games over the past two years. I have had better things to do, like punch myself in the face.
If Frank Vogel can use him correctly and inspire him with optimism, Stuckey may become a useful tool on a roster that lacks any other players with his lone-wolf, Come At Me Bro mentality.
But the book on Rodney is that he stopped improving awhile ago, and his skills were no longer producing results, both on their own right and especially as the team didn’t need drives that were increasingly ending not in layups or drive-and-kicks but in midrange jumpers. Stuckey was going through the motions and probably just wasn’t that good to begin with.
Now, he gets a fresh start, away from the losses and fractured game-planning he has seen in Detroit.
It is really hard for players to shake off the years of grime that such situations create. It’s quite probable that the early-career Stuckey is long gone, never to return. But if Frank Vogel can use him correctly and inspire him with optimism, Stuckey may become a useful tool on a roster that lacks any other players with his lone-wolf, Come At Me Bro mentality. He isn’t Lance Stephenson by any means, but he has some of Lance’s fire.
That Stuckey could be more than useful. He could be, dare I say, dynamic. That might be an overstatement, but even if his mentality alone can inspire George Hill and C.J. Miles to drive more and keep the defense guessing, the signing will have been worth it.
Nobody on the team will be as headstrong with the ball. Nobody will challenge defenders as much in isolation. Nobody will be as fearless heading to the rim.
And that alone is welcome on a team that is otherwise full of players who rarely bring much excitement with the rock in their hands.
– Jared Wade (follow @8pts9secs)
Relevant GIF
If you plan to follow the 2014-15 Indiana Pacers, you’ll need a sense of humor. Laugh so you don’t cry. And what’s funnier than Archer? Nothing. Nothing is the answer.
Key 2013-14 Stats
- 13.9 points per game
- 2.1 assists per game
- 45.0% eFG%
- 24.3% usage rate
- 113 defensive rate
One Key Question
Should Rodney Stuckey be starting?
The Situation: The Pacers signed Rodney Stuckey on a team-friendly, one-year deal for the veteran’s minimum salary. Stuckey is a seven-year vet whose strengths and weaknesses have been well documented. However, he’s rarely been surrounded by much talent and has had several coaches in his career. In Detroit, he was often relied upon to create offense for the team. He would be in a similar role with the second unit here, but if he were starting, he would be either the fourth or fifth option, depending on who was starting alongside him at the wing.
Best-case Scenario: Stuckey is paired with Chris Copeland – with either the first or second unit – and the two of them are allowed to play to their respective strengths, with Stuckey acting as a wrecking ball getting into the lane and to the line, and dishing to Cope behind the arc once he draws the attention.
Worst-case Scenario: Stuckey gets paired with Solomon Hill, and the Pacers’ offense bogs down any time the defense gets set. Both Stuckey and Hill’s numbers suffer, and whatever unit they’re playing with has an impossible time trying to score the ball.
Prediction: Frank Vogel is a smart coach, and he’s going to make the most of his players. Stuckey should be paired with either Copeland or Miles at all times, regardless of whether or not he’s starting, allowing him to maximize his skills in ways he just never got the chance to in Detroit. My gut feeling is that Stuckey starts with Cope, George Hill, West, and Hibbert — and Stuckey is surprisingly efficient.
– William Furr (follow @William_Furr)
How He Scores
The above spiderweb chart shows, via Synergy Sports, what types of possessions lead to his points in 2013-14. (created by Tim Donahue – follow @TimDonahue8p9s)
Last season, Stuckey did stuff with the ball in his hands. He got his points in isolation or while leading the pick-and-roll. This probably will not change just because his uniform has, and he will continue to stare down his defender and try to take them to the hole.
His 2013-14 shot chart, via Nylon Calculus
Rodney Stuckey likes shooting from the right side of the floor. He does not, however, make a high percentage of this shots from anywhere really. More than anything, the shot chart above probably represents why the Pacers got Stuckey for the veteran’s minimum.
Sweatin’ Bullets
Sweatin’ Bullets is an 8p9s tradition started by Jonny Auping in which we offer standalone facts, observations, and commentary, often devoid of context or fairness.
- While painted as a combo guard, Rodney Stuckey was all gunslinger last year. His measly 2.8 assists per 36 minutes was way below his previous career low of 4.5, set the prior season. For reference, David West averaged 3.2 dimes/36 last year.
- The highlight of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge was when Rodney challenged Floyd Mayweather to read one page of a Harry Potter book.
- The Pacers will play the Detroit Pistons four times this season. Look for Stuckey to go hard at the team that, he probably feels, stifled his potential by clogging up his driving lanes with hulking standstills.
- Rodney takes over a #2 jersey number previously donned by famed undersized Pacer guards Tyus Edny, Earl Watson, and Darren Collison.