| Stuck To You: The Transformation Of Rodney Stuckey |
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| Written by Sean Stancill | |
| Thursday, 28 August 2008 | |
 The hometown native then elected to choose Eastern Washington to further his athletic career. In his freshman season, Stuckey was named Big Sky MVP (the first time a freshman ever received that accolade) and the Big Sky Freshman of The Year, averaging 24.2 PPG, 4.1 APG, 4.8 RPG, and 2.2 SPG. The following year, the 6-4 playmaker improved once again and produced 24.6 PPG, 5.5 APG, 4.7 RPG, and 2.4 SPG during his sophomore and final season as an Eagle and a college basketball player; spearheaded by finishing fourth in the country in scoring, featuring nine 30+ point games and three 10+ assist games. He subsided his career as an Eastern Washington Eagle finishing and as an 2nd team All America Selection and devouring countless Big Sky and school records. After an outstanding collegiate career at Eastern Washington, he entered into the 2007 NBA Draft and was chosen as the 15th pick overall by the Detroit Pistons. In the Summer League, Stuckey averaged 19 PPG, 4 RPG, 2.6 APG, and 1.2 SPG. He also shot 46% from the field and 90.3% from the free throw line, while leading the Pistons to a 4-1 record. He continued his torrid play into exhibition games, where he averaged 32.1 PPG, 5.5 RPG, and 9.1 APG. Unfortunately, he broke his hand in the finale of the NBA's preseason, causing him to miss six weeks and pushing back his professional debut until December. Named to the NBA's All Rookie Second Team, the motivated guard aimed to make a statement in the playoffs. Early in the 4th quarter of the Game 2 2nd round matchup between the Pistons-Celtics, #3 was inserted into the starting lineup by Flip Saunders replacing Chauncey Billups, hoping the rookie would deliver much needed energy off the bench. Rodney delivered 6 points in the 4th quarter and finished with 13 points total to give Detroit the edge and Game 2 to even the series at one game apiece. In Game 5 of that same series, Stuckey scored the Pistons' final 8 points in a span of 55 seconds including a clutch three pointer that chipped the lead to one, 100-99. The Celtics eventually hung on to wing Game 5 106-102 en route to winning the Finals, but Stuckey left Motor City critics and fans drooling over his untapped potential. Stuckey also averaged 9.8 PPG against the Orlando Magic, to go along with a remarkable 95% against the Magic, going 19-20 from the line. Here's an overall look of his numbers last season: 2007-08 Seasonal Numbers: 7.6 PPG, 2.8 APG, 2.3 RPG, 0.9 SPG 2007-08 Playoff Numbers: 8.2 PPG, 3.4 APG, 1.9 RPG, 1 SPG, 87.9% FT Shooting 2007-08 vs Celtics: 9.8 PPG, 2.8 APG, 1.5 RPG, 1.6 SPG, 80% FT Shooting Stuckey is a lights out shooter that will capitalize on any freedom given by defenders. His quick release and graceful shooting motion enables him to transfer the ball out of his hands faster than the incoming defender. His ball handling skills and decision making are better than mediocre but still can be improved as with most inexperienced players. My comparison of Rodney Stuckey is a young Ray Allen.         Set as favorite Bookmark Comments
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