The Pistons exercised the third-year option of Sasser's rookie contract Monday, Coty M. Davis of The Detroit News reports.
Sasser came off the bench for most of the 2023-24 campaign, but he was in the Pistons' starting lineup over his last 10 regular-season outings and averaged 13.6 points, 4.6 assists, 2.0 steals and 0.9 steals over 30.9 minutes per game. Sasser and Malik Beasley are projected to be the first guards off the bench for the Pistons behind starters Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey.
... See More... See Less
Pistons' Marcus Sasser: Productive off bench Sunday
Rotowire
Sasser finished with 12 points (4-8 FG, 0-3 3Pt, 4-4 FT), two rebounds, nine assists and two steals across 19 minutes off the bench in Sunday's 120-87 preseason win over the Bucks.
Sasser's best chance to see steady minutes in the regular season will be to operate as Cade Cunningham's backup, and he certainly made his presence felt as a playmaker Sunday by dishing out a team-high nine assists. Sasser averaged 8.3 points and 3.3 assists across 19.0 minutes per game in 71 regular-season appearances as a rookie in 2023-24. However, he figures to experience an uptick in his numbers if he can carve out a larger role in Year 2.
... See More... See Less
Pistons' Marcus Sasser: Pops for 17 in finale
Rotowire
Sasser notched 17 points (6-13 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 3-3 FT), three rebounds, seven assists and one block in 31 minutes during Sunday's 123-95 loss to the Spurs.
Making his seventh straight start, Sasser drained multiple three-pointers for the sixth time during that stretch. The 23-year-old rookie averaged 14.6 points, 4.6 assists, 2.3 threes, 2.0 boards and 0.9 steals in his starting stint, but the Pistons' overloaded backcourt likely doesn't leave him with a clear path to consistent minutes next season, as Cade Cunningham (knee), Jaden Ivey and Quentin Grimes (knee) all seem set for significant roles when healthy.
... See More... See Less
Pistons' Marcus Sasser: Scores 20 points vs. Chicago
Rotowire
Sasser had 20 points (8-15 FG, 4-10 3Pt), five assists, one block and two steals across 33 minutes during Thursday's 127-105 loss to the Bulls.
Sasser extended his streak of double-digit scoring games to three Thursday. He reached the 20-point mark for the sixth time this season, and he has seen an uptick in field-goal attempts due to Cade Cunningham being siidelined with a knee injury. In his last eight starts, Sasser has averaged 11.9 points, 1.8 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.0 steals over 30.7 minutes per game.
... See More... See Less
Pistons' Marcus Sasser: Good to go Wednesday
Rotowire
Sasser (illness) is available for Wednesday's game versus the Hawks.
Sasser has been upgraded from questionable to available Wednesday after missing Detroit's previous two contests with a non-COVID illness. The rookie guard is averaging 9.6 points, 4.4 assists and 2.0 rebounds in 28.6 minutes across his last five appearances.
... See More... See Less
Pistons' Marcus Sasser: Iffy for Wednesday
Rotowire
Sasser (illness) is questionable for Wednesday's game against the Hawks.
Sasser has missed two straight games due to an illness and is in danger of missing a third. Cade Cunningham (knee) is also questionable. Sasser carved out a nice role before the aliment, averaging 29.5 minutes over six appearances before being sidelined.
... See More... See Less
Pistons' Marcus Sasser: Downgraded to out
Rotowire
Sasser (illness) has been ruled out for Monday's game against the Grizzlies.
Sasser will miss a second straight game due to an illness. His next chance to suit up will come Wednesday in Atlanta. In Sasser's absence, Malachi Flynn is a candidate for extra playing time.
... See More... See Less
Pistons' Marcus Sasser: Iffy for Monday
Rotowire
Sasser (illness) is questionable for Monday's game against the Grizzlies.
Sasser missed Friday's game due to an illness that has his status for Monday in the air. If he is unable to go, Evan Fournier and Malachi Flynn could see an uptick in playing time.
... See More... See Less
Pistons' Marcus Sasser: Fourth-quarter burst vs. Toronto
Rotowire
Sasser produced 11 points (4-12 FG, 3-7 3Pt), five rebounds and three assists across 22 minutes during Wednesday's 113-104 victory over the Raptors.
Sasser didn't do much over the first three quarters, but he turned up the gas in the final frame as he recorded eight points -- including two threes -- and two assists to help the Pistons close out Wednesday's game. It's the second time Sasser has scored in double digits since March 3 when he returned from a five-game absence due to a right knee bruise. He's competing with Quentin Grimes as the first guard off the Pistons' bench behind starters Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey.
... See More... See Less
Pistons' Marcus Sasser: Shoots poorly in return
Rotowire
Sasser (knee) scored three points (1-8 FG, 0-5 3Pt, 1-1 FT) and added four assists, three rebounds and two steals across 25 minutes in Sunday's 113-91 loss to the Magic.
Heading into Sunday, the rookie second-round pick had impressed this season from an efficiency standpoint with a 42.4 percent conversion rate on 2.8 three-point attempts per game, but he couldn't find his shooting touch in his return from a four-game absence due to a right knee contusion. Sasser ended up surpassing his season average of 16.3 minutes per game, but the rough shooting took away from his solid returns in the assists and steals columns. While Sasser is likely to stick in the rotation moving forward, he'll probably see his playing time get scaled back in more competitive contests and may also lose minutes if Quentin Grimes (knee) is available for Detroit's next game Tuesday in Miami.
... See More... See Less
Pistons' Marcus Sasser: Probable for Sunday
Rotowire
Sasser (knee) is probable for Sunday's game against the Magic.
Sasser missed a week with a right knee bruise but is expected to be available Sunday. The rookie's role will likely be minor, but he may push Malachi Flynn out of the rotation.
... See More... See Less
Pistons' Marcus Sasser: Out at least one week
Rotowire
The Pistons announced Monday that Sasser (knee) will be re-evaluated in one week, Mike Curtis of The Detroit News reports.
Sasser had already been ruled out for a second consecutive game Monday against the Knicks on account of the right knee contusion he suffered in the fourth quarter of Thursday's 129-115 loss to the Pacers. The rookie guard was already expected to get his minutes squeezed to some degree after trade-deadline pickup Quentin Grimes made his Pistons debut in Saturday's loss to the Magic, so Sasser's absence won't necessarily open up major playing time for any of Detroit's reserve backcourt players.
... See More... See Less
Pistons' Marcus Sasser: Won't play Monday
Rotowire
Sasser (knee) has been ruled out for Monday's game against the Knicks.
Sasser will miss his second consecutive game due to right knee soreness. The Pistons are acclimating to a rotation with several new additions, but Quentin Grimes, Shake Milton and Malachi Flynn will absorb the majority of his vacated workload Monday, although Milton was a healthy scratch in Saturday's loss to Orlando.
... See More... See Less
Pistons' Marcus Sasser: Ruled out Saturday
Rotowire
Sasser (knee) is out against the Magic on Saturday.
The absence of Sasser is not really surprising, as he was a late addition to the injury report due to knee soreness. Sasser's next chance to play will come against the Knicks on Monday. Shake Milton and Malachi Flynn are expected to see more minutes off the bench with Sasser out.
... See More... See Less
Pistons' Marcus Sasser: Late addition to injury report
Rotowire
Sasser is listed as questionable for Saturday's game versus the Magic due to right knee soreness.
Sasser is in danger of missing his first game since Jan. 27 on Saturday despite being absent from the injury report all day. If Sasser is ruled out, Shake Milton, Malachi Flynn and Evan Fournier are candidates to receive increased playing time.
... See More... See Less
Pistons' Marcus Sasser: First double-double Thursday
Rotowire
Sasser recorded 17 points (6-13 FG, 3-7 3Pt, 2-4 FT), two rebounds, 11 assists and two steals across 38 minutes off the bench during Thursday's 128-122 overtime victory over the Trail Blazers.
The rookie guard played a career high in minutes, in part due to a busy trade deadline for the Pistons that left the roster with some temporary holes, and Sasser responded with his first career double-double. His role in the backcourt has been increasing, but he still looks like the fourth option in the team's new-look rotation behind Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey and deadline acquisition Quentin Grimes. Sasser's averaging 13.1 points, 4.3 assists, 2.0 threes and 1.4 boards in 20.9 minutes a game over his last eight contests while shooting 54.1 percent from the floor and 47.1 percent from beyond the arc, but that could be about his ceiling for the rest of the season.
... See More... See Less
Pistons' Marcus Sasser: Plays 19 minutes in loss
Rotowire
Sasser ended with two points (0-4 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 2-2 FT), two rebounds, four assists, one block and one steal in 19 minutes during Tuesday's 131-110 loss to Sacramento.
Sasser played his most minutes since Dec. 18, but he failed to make any of his four field-goal attempts. The rookie held a consistent role to begin the campaign, posting 8.3 points, 2.9 assists and 1.9 rebounds in 18.5 minutes across the first 20 games, but he's been out of the regular rotation since. With Cade Cunningham (knee) set to miss about a week, Sasser could see an elevated role again.
... See More... See Less
Pistons' Marcus Sasser: Plays 17 minutes in loss
Rotowire
Sasser racked up 11 points (4-4 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 2-4 FT), two rebounds, four assists, one block and one steal over 17 minutes during Friday's 124-92 loss to the 76ers.
Sasser has fallen out of the rotation of late, notching a DNP on Monday and averaging just five minutes over the past three contests in which he's played. However, with the Pistons getting blown out and on their way to a 22nd straight defeat Friday, the rookie point guard got a little more run and made the most of the opportunity with a perfect 4-for-4 performance from the field en route to his first double-digit scoring effort of December. Sasser has shown flashes of potential this season, but it's been hard for him to carve out a consistent role with Cade Cunningham, Killian Hayes and Jaden Ivey ahead of him at point guard.
... See More... See Less
Pistons' Marcus Sasser: Nears double-double Wednesday
Rotowire
Sasser ended Wednesday's 133-107 loss to the Lakers with nine points (3-8 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 2-2 FT), one rebound, eight assists, one block and two steals across 28 minutes.
The eight dimes were a season high for Sasser, the 25th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. While he's third on the depth chart at point guard behind Cade Cunningham and Killian Hayes, the rookie has played more than 20 minutes in three of the last five games as Detroit keeps getting blown out, creating opportunities for Sasser to get some extra run. He's generally taking advantage -- through 14 games in November, he's averaging 9.2 points, 3.4 assists, 1.9 boards, 1.3 threes and 0.9 steals in 21.1 minutes a contest, and he could be an intriguing fantasy option if injuries hit the Pistons backcourt.
... See More... See Less
Pistons' Marcus Sasser: Produces nine points
Rotowire
Sasser notched nine points (4-6 FG, 1-2 3Pt), one rebound, six assists and one steal over 21 minutes during Sunday's 142-113 loss to Toronto.
This was a nice bounce-back performance for Sasser after he scored a combined six points in his previous two contests. However, the Pistons are finally getting healthier, and it sounds like Killian Hayes (shoulder) is expected to return Monday against Denver, so it won't be easy for Sasser to keep his minutes up.
