It is no surprise that second-year point guard Killian Hayes is the most polarizing member of the Detroit Pistons after an injury-marred an ineffective rookie year. What is most surprising is who might be second on that list — Trey Lyles.
First, it’s a surprise he’s getting enough minutes to warrant a large amount of attention and scrutiny. Second, he’s a low-cost, stopgap veteran who fills in the cracks of a young, inexperienced rotation. Third, he’s replacing a player whose production it is not hard to replace in Sekou Doumbouya.
Of course, even more surprising than how polarizing Lyles has proved to be is just how effective he has been as a small-ball 5 on a Pistons team missing first big off the bench Kelly Olynyk and has been forced to weather the occasional absence of starting center Isaiah Stewart.