Rodney Stuckey’s Search For Structure and Stability

A year ago Rodney Stuckey was looking for a new home in the NBA but he had a cloud hanging over him as he left the Detroit Pistons. Popular opinion said he was a temperamental head-case who was more trouble than he was worth.

"“Moody, can’t be coached, bad guy, can’t win with him,” said an Eastern Conference insider, repeating the circulated gossip. “Anybody that really knows him, would know… he’s one of the most misunderstood guys in the league.”"

In Candace Buckner’s story on Stuckey rebuilding his reputation the player explains how a few “young and foolish” decisions he made handling situations in Detroit caused his reputation to take a major hit. When he first arrived in the Pistons’ locker room he had veteran Chauncey Billups looking over his shoulder to help guide him through the NBA but once Billups was traded the structure around the team changed and he found himself in a leadership role he wasn’t ready for.

"“There was just never structure and anytime you don’t have structure, obviously things are just going to be tough. You know there’s going to be a lot of dysfunctional things going on,” Stuckey said. “You could never get comfortable or really ever figure out anything because it was always changing, and I didn’t like that.”"

When he signed with Indiana more than a few observes noted that Stuckey was an interesting choice to replace Lance Stephenson as both had been known more for their “antics” than their play on the court.

We talk about "antics" with Lance, but Stuckey was benched for insubordination, was defensive liability & had shooting problems.
— Candace Buckner (@CandaceDBuckner) July 17, 2014

Rodney Stuckey replacement to fill the Stephenson void is an interesting one.
— Candace Buckner (@CandaceDBuckner) July 17, 2014

The Pistons may have went on “smear campaign” as Stuckey was on his way out but even he would admit the perception of him was partly his own doing.

But a year later he has all but completely repaired his image is looking to play with a contender if he doesn’t resign with the Pacers. He showed some humility as he came off the bench last season to help turn Indiana’s second-unit into one of the best in the league. Stuckey was consistent while retaining the ability to explode offensively combined with a stamp of approval from Larry Bird changed the guard from a head-case to a head-turner. He also showed his skills aren’t declining as he had the best shooting percentage of his career (44%) while averaging 12.6 point per a game.

Stuckey feels some loyalty to the Pacers, but he doesn’t owe them anything either. They signed him to a team-friendly veteran’s minimum salary so it wasn’t like the organization was placing much faith in Stuckey. When Stuckey signed he might have thought he was joining a team that was competing for a spot in the Eastern Conference Finals. Then Paul George breaks his leg, the Pacers miss the playoffs, David West leaves, and Roy Hibbert’s future win Indiana is in doubt. West had no problem leading the team and shaping its identity so seeing him go may be the biggest sign things are changing in Indiana.

It seems clear Indiana is in some sort of rebuilding mode and it is hard to find fault in Stuckey looking for another team as the structure and stability that might have described the Indiana Pacers a few seasons ago is gone.

Next: Pacers Yet to Reach Out to Rodney Stuckey

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