Tayshaun Prince 2.0: Why the Pistons Are Now His Team

Tayshaun Prince is the best player on the Pistons right now.  There, I said it.  Ridicule me if you want.  Tell me I'm crazy.  Call me a fool.  I don't care because I believe what my eyes tell me. 

Remember, I didn't say he was the most talented, has the most upside, or that he'll carry the team on his back for 82 games.  I said he was the best player right now.

The only problem is that I can't point you to his statistics and say "see, I told you so" or show you a highlight reel dunk or even one specific play so far this season that would make you say "OK, I see it."  Heck, I can't even tell you to watch a single game to make you understand.

What I can tell you is that if you haven't been watching the Pistons regularly, then you don't see the maturation of Tayshaun this season.  He's playing like a different player than in year's past.  He's more assertive.  He's more vocal.  He's more determined.  Yet, he'll still fly under the radar as guys like Iverson and Rasheed will capture your attention and you'll likely miss what Prince does.

After the trade for Allen Iverson, Prince has been moved all over the place, being asked to play four different positions, including Point-Forward.  He's being asked to guard bigger power forwards at times, while still drawing the toughest defensive assignment the rest of the game.  He's being asked to be the facilitator of the offense and to bring the ball up the court, while being the guy that sticks the 15-footer to stop a scoring drought.

Part of the reason is due to necessity.  This is a very different ball club with Iverson in the fold.  Without Chauncey Billups leading the charge, Prince has been the floor general so that Iverson can concentrate on doing his thing.  While not necessarily embracing this responsibility of playing out of position, he's been very professional about doing what's best for the team.

I think another major factor in his maturation was his time on Team USA this past summer.  He didn't get the playing time he probably wanted, but you can tell he learned a lot.  I think his preparation is better, focus is better, and his will stronger.  The Pistons are/were a complacent team that really lost that hunger and were/are victims of their own over-confidence.  I think the fact that Tayshaun had a chance to get away from the rest of the core and really focus in as part of an "us against the world" mentality really allowed him to take the next step and get refocused.

In past year's, a young Tayshaun would always seem to defer to his elder teammates and seemed to not mind being "the fifth Piston."  But, this year is different.  He's looking for his shots.  He's demanding the ball.  He's directing the plays and he's taking on a more visible leadership role now that Billups is gone.

The thing is, I know I still haven't convinced you.  You need proof.  His 15 points, seven rebounds, and three assists per game are average small forward numbers at best.  You say he's still the fourth most talented player on the team.  I tell you to take a look at Tayshaun now and see how he's quietly developing into the Pistons' most important player. 

Despite the fact he's probably the fourth option on a given play, he's still the one they go to when they've run into one of their offensive lulls.  He'll demand the respect of his teammates during a timeout, telling them what they need to do next time down the court. 

Welcome to the next version of Tayshaun Prince.