NBA – Monty Williams asked his rookie to play his game, with his qualities, and not try to be a Chris Paul-style playmaker. Which doesn’t suit him.
Not really expected this season, Marcus Sasser nevertheless carried out an interesting first exercise in the doldrums of the Pistons. With the premature end of Cade Cunningham’s season, he even has the right to a place in the major five to finish the exercise.
This increased playing time was not necessarily synonymous with success because his month of March was very average, between clumsiness and modest performances. For a simple reason: he was playing against the odds. Monty Williams therefore decided, before a trip to Brooklyn, to speak to him.
It’s not Chris Paul who wants
“He couldn’t play that style of basketball. He was between two chairs: being Chris Paul and being himself,” analyzes the Pistons coach. “I coached Paul and he is not the player Sasser is. He had to play his game.”
Over the last four matches, after this discussion, Marcus Sasser averages 18 points. In the sixteen previous matches, he was only at 7.1 points and, with 24 points against the Mavericks, he signed one of the best performances of his season. So there was something that clicked.
“It gives confidence,” explains the playmaker, who played in front of his family against Dallas. “I was in a bit of trouble, in my thoughts during this period. The coach cornered me and said he had my back, even if I was in trouble, because he could have gotten away from me. So that gave me a lot of confidence. »
A scorer above all
He must not chase away his naturalness. “I am a scorer above all. I try to be aggressive, go to the circle, and all that will create actions for me and for my teammates. I have to have this mindset and not be passive”he announces for the rest.
Even if he was sometimes lost in finding his place and his role, Marcus Sasser nevertheless had a more successful first season than expected. With Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Killian Hayes and Monte Morris announced ahead of him at the start of the season, it’s impossible to imagine that he would ultimately play 70 games with an average of 19 minutes.
“This season has accelerated his progress. He started the season thinking he would play half the time in the G-League,” constate Monty Williams. “We lost Morris for a while, due to injuries, and he was there. He was taken by surprise and that’s good for him. This will pay off in the future. »
2024-04-14 10:10:59
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