Detroit Pistons: Brandon Knight Brings Hope to Otherwise Inconsistent Lineup

Detroit Pistons' point rookie point guard Brandon Knight is going to be a superstar in the NBA when all is said and done.

Unfortunately, it's going to take the Detroit Pistons some time to build something around him that will help him lead this team to prominence in the NBA.

Knight was a standout point guard during his one year at Kentucky. He averaged 17.3 points, 4.2 assists and four rebounds playing 35.9 minutes a game for the Wildcats, and led his team to the Final Four.

Frankly, he was a steal for the Pistons at No. 8 overall, as many considered him to be a top five prospect or better.

Knight showed a little bit of that potential in the home opener, and one would be wise to believe that we just caught of glimpse of how good he can be.

Welcome to the Motown Breakdown:

Last Night: Cavaliers 105 Pistons 89

There were times where the Pistons looked like they had what it took to win this game, but when all was said and done they couldn't match the Cavaliers' energy or focus. 

To be honest, if the Pistons can't beat the Cavs, I'm not sure who they are going to be able to beat very easily this season.

They allowed Antwan Jamison to score 15 points and Anderson Varejao to put up 10 points and seven rebounds. They were out-rebounded 40-26, but even that staggering number doesn't do the domination justice. 

In the end it may have been the 21 turnovers and 52 points in the paint that did the Pistons in, despite fairly good offensive performances Knight and Ben Gordon, who had 25 points and four assists.

Pistons Player Of The Game: Brandon Knight: 23 PTS, 1 REB, 6 AST

While he didn't lead the Pistons in scoring, he provided the team with a huge lift off the bench. At times he absolutely dominated on the offensive end, shooting 10-of-13 from the field and 3-of-5 from downtown.

Piston Points: 

Pick Up The Defense: Coach Lawrence Frank apparently really stresses defense, but for some reason it doesn't seem to be adding up with this team just yet. The Cavaliers picked up 13 fast-break points and 52 points in the paint. This team is void of big men, so until they can fix that or have the ones they have right now to step up, it's going to be a long season.

Knight Must Start: It's rather obvious that this team scores a lot better when Brandon Knight is controlling the point. He combined for 48 points with Gordon, and when compared to the 11 points Stuckey put up, one would have to assume that the first combination is the better of the two. The problem here is that Stuckey just signed a three-year deal with the team, and his goal is to come off the bench.

Austin Daye And Night: Simply put, Daye has looked absolutely horrible so far. He went 0-5 from the field with three turnovers against the Cavaliers. This is a guy that the Pistons have put a lot of hope and stock into, so he really needs to step up his game. Right now he looks overwhelmed.

Frank The Tank:

Thoughts from coach Lawrence Frank via NBA.com.

"

Offense is going to be bad early on, there's no doubt about that, the thing that is very disappointing is that we devoted a majority of our time on the defensive end. To have that type of performance was very disappointing. Offensively it is going to be a work in progress, but defensively we are just going to have to continue to build.”

"

Breakdown:

It's rather obvious that Knight has what it takes to be a superstar in this league. He's got more than enough range behind the three-point line and he has the confidence to put it up. 

We finally saw him driving the lane and making things happen, both with his shot and passing the ball.

The team is very inconsistent right now. At times they are dialed in, but their lack of post-presence really allows their opponent to control the pace of the game and take them out of it, especially if they can't respond on the offensive end.

Knight can play a huge part in combating that as he continues to grow confident in his offensive game.

The biggest problem the Pistons are going to run into is getting him the playing time he needs to develop while giving Gordon and the newly signed Stuckey the minutes that they want.

Getting Knight his minutes has to be a priority though. He has the potential to be the leader of this team moving into the future. I'm not sure I can say that about the other two guys.

Looking Forward: Pistons vs. Celtics - Fri. Dec. 30 7:30 p.m.

Unfortunately I don't see this being a good matchup for the Pistons. Even though they are getting older the Celtics are still going to be one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference.

With all the problems they've had down-low this season, the Pistons are going to really struggle containing Kevin Garnett. Knight is also going to be in for quite a NBA baptism, as I'm sure he'll eventually have to go against either Rajon Rondo or Ray Allen.

The Celtics haven't won a game this season and are coming into this matchup at 0-3. This game is going to be their home opener, and considering the fact they are desperate for a win, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Pistons suffer another blowout.