By Zeke JenningsWhen the Detroit Pistons lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers in last season's Eastern Conference Finals, Joe Dumars knew the team's core needed a shot in the arm.
As the final minutes ticked off of Cleveland's series-clinching win in Game 6 at Quicken Loans Arena, Dumars scribbled some notes on a pad.
"Team looks tired; must get younger; must get more athletic," Dumars wrote.
Some of what Dumars was looking for was already on the Pistons' bench in Jason Maxiell.
Maxiell began to earn minutes last season, but being just the fourth big man behind Rasheed Wallace, Chris Webber and Antonio McDyess, his playing time was inconsistent.
Webber was not resigned in the offseason, and the team moved McDyess into the starting lineup, paving the way for the Maxiell to be the first big man off the bench.
Maxiell, 24, a third-year pro out of the University of Cincinnati, is flourishing in his expanded role.
He's logging about 23 minutes per game and is averaging nearly nine points and six rebounds, including an 18-point, 11-rebound performance in Sunday's 118-95 win over New Jersey.
The win improved the Pistons to 11-5, good for first place in the Central Division.
More importantly, Maxiell's high-energy, hungry style of play gives the veteran Pistons a little something extra when he's on the floor.
Pistons coach Flip Saunders said Maxiell's style of play is well-suited to his role as sixth man.
"I think Maxie is better coming off the bench, because the refs tend to call games tight early, and he was picking up early fouls," Saunders said. "Now he's in there a little later, and he's able to be more aggressive."
The long-armed Maxiell, who plays much bigger than his listed heigth of 6'7", also leads the Pistons in blocked shots with 24.
Also earning more playing time is athletic 6'9" forward Amir Johnson.
Johnson, in his third season, played in his 11th game of the young season on Sunday, which equals his total games played for his first two seasons.
Johnson, who was a second-round pick by the Pistons after entering the NBA straight out of high school, is still learning how to be an NBA player, but there are few questions regarding his athletic ability. He probably would have been a lottery pick had he been in the draft this past summer.
Pistons fans still are awaiting the regular-season debut of rookie guard Rodney Stuckey, who suffered a broken hand in the final game of the preseason.
Stuckey, the 15th pick in the NBA Draft in June, has drawn comparisons to Dwyane Wade and is expected to see time at both guard positions behind Chauncey Billups and Richard Hamilton.
Stuckey's injury will obviously slow his development this season, but should be prove able once he returns, it could mean potential free agent Hamilton's days in Motown might be dwindling to an end.
Arron Afflalo, the Pistons other first-round pick, is averaging 12 minutes a game and provides defensive toughness and a strong outside shot of the bench, which the team was also lacking last season.
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