NBA: Rodney Stuckey Will Have Breakout Season In 2014
By Evan Massey
The Indiana Pacers are heading into an unknown season after losing Lance Stephenson in free agency and Paul George to a broken leg. Many aren’t expecting them to make the playoffs, and some are expecting them to be among the worst teams in the entire league. They didn’t go out and make any knee-jerk reactions, but they did sign a couple players that have shown potential in the past.
One of those players is former Detroit Pistons guard Rodney Stuckey, who is expected to take on a big role this season. He was signed to help replace Stephenson, and is a very similar type of player. Stuckey isn’t the same caliber of playmaker that Stephenson has been for Indiana, but he is more than capable of getting to the rim and knocking down the mid-range jumper.
Stuckey ended up playing in 73 regular season games with the Pistons, and only started in five of those appearances. He averaged 13.9 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game, but also only shot 43.6 percent from the floor and 27.3 percent from behind the 3-point arc. There are some major concerns about his 3-point shooting, but that is not what the Pacers will be asking him to do this year.
As you can see from the chart, Stuckey is at his best when he is getting into the paint, and begins having some issues with consistency from mid-range. He’s more than capable of making mid-range shots, but he is poor to say the least from behind the 3-point arc. The Pacers are going to be asking him to get to the rim and finish through contract or draw foul line attempts.
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He has been a consistently good shooter from the line, and ended up shooting 83.6 percent from the foul line last year in Detroit. Stuckey will love his new role with the Pacers, and it will fit his game perfectly. There is no doubt that he can get to the rim and fill that area for the Pacers, but he’ll have to improve his mid-range game and three-point shooting a little bit prior to the season.
At 28 years of age, he still has plenty of time to play at a high level and is in the prime of his career. Changing teams and system is going to be a huge help for him, and he will be heading into a bigger role than he has ever had in his career. The Pacers’ success will hinge quite a bit on Stuckey’s success, and that is a lot more on his shoulders than he has had in Detroit.
Needless to say, there are quite a few fans and analysts who aren’t too thrilled about the Stuckey acquisition. He isn’t a big name or a flashy player, and the Pacers lost two of those big names and flashy players this offseason. Stuckey will be an upgrade over Stephenson in the team chemistry department, and he is a much more willing passer despite not having the flashy playmaking ability.
It’s going to be interesting to see how he ends up fitting with the Pacers, but he has the potential to be a huge impact player. He has gotten a bad reputation with the Pistons, but that will change now that he has a bigger role on a better team. A change of scenery is exactly what he has been needing, and the Pacers are a good franchise to play for with quite a bit of stability.
The Pacers aren’t going to be contending for a championship this coming season, but they are going to have the potential to be a better team than most expect them to be. Stuckey is going to be a key piece for them, and they signed him to have a much larger role than simply being a role player. Expect to see him exceed expectations in a big way, and end up becoming one of the biggest surprises in the league.