Highest grade for each player – Lowest grade for each player

DF: Dan Feldman of PistonPowered

VE: Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press

DP: Dave Pemberton of The Oakland Press

PH: Patrick Hayes of Full-Court Press

CI: Chris Iott of MLive

JR: Justin Rogers of Full-Court Press

KS: Kevin Sawyer of Detroit Bad Boys

NS: Natalie Sitto of Need4Sheed (Unfortunately, I misplaced my Sheed-to-GPA conversion chart, so Natalie’s grades aren’t included in the average.)

• Grades are based on how much each person has contributed to the Pistons this season. So, injuries will lower a player’s grade.
• Grades are curved toward expected roles. For example, if a starter and bench player perform equally, the bench player would get a higher grade.
• A ‘C’ is average.

Rodney Stuckey: A-minus

The rest of these are in alphabetical order, but I moved Stuckey to the top. I original had him pegged at a ‘B,’ but looking closer, I don’t think we’ve appreciated his season enough.

Although his defense was better earlier in the season, it’s been solid overall and might be the area he’s improved the most.

Stuckey is averaging 18.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game. Just nine other players are averaging at least 18, 4 and 4:

• LeBron James
• Kobe Bryant
• Dwyane Wade
• Monta Ellis
• Brandon Roy
• Gilbert Arenas
• Joe Johnson
• Tyreke Evans
• Chris Paul

Few would argue each of those nine are among the NBA’s top players. And the way Stuckey has played this year, he deserves a lot of credit.

I’m not quite ready to include among the league’s elite, though. He barely meets the targets, when most of the others crush them. His field-goal and free-throw percentages are easily worst on the list, too.

But here’s the best part – Stuckey is the second-youngest player on the list. (Stuckey is 23, and Tyreke Evans is 20).

I think Stuckey is growing up right before our eyes. He hasn’t reached the next level yet – but he’s getting close.

Chucky Atkins: B

He was supposed to help in practice and maybe dress for the occasional game. Instead, he’s been pretty reliable as the Pistons’ only true point guard. When Atkins is on the court, Rodney Stuckey plays his best — a real asset to this team.

Kwame Brown: D-minus

What happened to the talk of Brown starting? He was a solid inside defender and rebounder last season, and that’s a role the Pistons definitely need filled when Ben Wallace goes to the bench. Now, he’s just piling up DNP-CDs.

Will Bynum: C

His efficiency numbers are down, but he’s playing more minutes. So, that should be expected. He looks like a better all-around player this season, but I’m not sure if he’s played enough to know for certain. He would have received a higher grade if he hadn’t missed 14 games.

Austin Daye: C

He’s basically been what was expected: bursts of talent mixed with inconsistency, brilliant shooting and defensive lapses, decent ball handling and weakness going for rebounds.

Ben Gordon: C

His field-goal, 3-point and free-throw shooting percentages are down, and he’s missed 16 games. But he’s still better than most sixth men. It’d be nice if he finally gets in a groove in the second half.

Richard Hamilton: D-minus

This might be a little generous because Hamilton has played in just 14 games and probably deserves an ‘F’ just because of that. But he was really good in his only game prior to injury (25 points against the Grizzlies in the season opener). And now that he’s getting back in shape, his movement away from the ball has done wonders for the offense.

Jonas Jerebko: A

What a pleasant surprise. Jerebko has become a fan favorite with his rebounding and defense. Besides DeJuan Blair, he’s probably the best second-round pick of the last draft.

Jason Maxiell: D

His production and, not coincidentally, his minutes have been dropping the last few seasons. He just doesn’t look as hungry on the court.

Tayshaun Prince: F

He’s barely played, and when he has, he hasn’t been productive. It’s a limited sample size, so this grade is undoubtedly lower than a player of Prince’s caliber would typically receive. But like I said above, injuries will lower a player’s grade.

DaJuan Summers: C-minus

There were decent hopes for Summers after his strong summer league play. But even Austin Daye, who was expected to be a multi-year project, is playing ahead of him.

Charlie Villanueva: C-minus

It’s been a frustrating first half for Villanueva. He’s battled injury and poor play. He hasn’t become a fixture in the starting lineup, like many were hoping. He’s shown enough glimpses to be effective, but he could be more consistent. It would be nice to see him defend, even when his shot isn’t falling.

Ben Wallace: A-plus

Ben Wallace is Detroit basketball this year. He’s one of just four players to lead his team in offensive and defensive rating (minimum eight games):

• LeBron James, Cavaliers
• Troy Murphy, Warriors
• Marcus Camby, Clippers

I think Wallace is actually playing better than he did his last year in Detroit. He had slipped a little bit then. But now, he almost looks like Big Ben in his prime. Almost.

He wasn’t supposed to be anything more than frontcourt depth. But he’s the team MVP, easily.

Chris Wilcox: C-minus

He’s scored double digits just four times and grabbed at least seven rebounds just twice this season (one game overlaps). By comparison he reached those marks 18 and 15 times last season (nine overlapped).

I knew he’d be boom or bust. It’d be naive to expect differently. I just thought there’d be a few more booms.

John Kuester: B-plus

With all the injuries, it certainly hasn’t been an easy year to coach. This is a flawed team, anyway. Chucky Atkins is the best pure point guard, and the only trustworthy  center is 35.

But the Pistons play hard, and that’s a credit to Kuester. He hasn’t been shy about tweaking the lineup to find the right fit. The younger players have seen the court and improved, too.

Still, he’s made enough curios moves (can’t Kwame Brown get a chance?) to not warrant a higher grade.

For a first-time NBA head coach with a team facing much more uncertainty than he ever expected, Kuester is doing a heck of a job. Consider this the Michael Curry curve.

Team: D

This has been a pretty disappointing season. Detroit was never going to contend for a title this year. Rather the goal was to make the playoffs.

And as the Pistons are learning, when you’re that fragile, injuries matter – a lot. They haven’t had a chance to show what they can be, and they might never.

The first half of the season was a disaster, and it probably means Detroit will miss the playoffs for the first time in nine seasons. But that’s hardly a given.

There’s still plenty of hope and intrigue left in these final 41 games.

Chucky Atkins shoots against the Denver Nuggets. (Robin Buckson/The Detroit News)

“If he plays regular minutes, there’s a problem.”

That’s what I wrote in Chucky Atkins’ player preview just more than a month ago.

Boy, was I wrong.

Atkins played brilliantly in the Pistons’ 101-99 win over the Nuggets last night. If there was ever an argument against Joe Dumars’ philosophy of having two scoring guards, this was it.

Sure, Atkins shot just 2-of-10 for nine points. But he orchestrated the offense masterfully, which is why he was a game-high plus-10. He had a lot to do with the many impressive feats by the Pistons’ offense.

• Charlie Villanueva scored 27 points, showing an impressive mix of inside and outside play.
• Rodney Stuckey scored 25 points and looked comfortable as a shooting guard .
• Detroit shot a season-high 41 free-throws (including 4-of-4 by Atkins).

Atkins also had a knack for making plays when the Pistons needed them most.

• He had two steals in short period in the second quarter that helped give the Pistons a little separation.
• He hit a 3-pointer when the Nuggets tied the game late in the third quarter.
• And he made a pair of free throws with 3:36 left that took the lead from Denver for good.

He took three more shots after those free throws, too. Many have made joked that, with Atkins starting, it feels like 2001. But if Atkins is Detroit’s go-to player down the stretch, I don’t want to know what year it is. I want to know what planet we’re on.

Heart is contagious

Atkins missed those final three shots, including the final one when Detroit led by two and could’ve taken the clock down four more seconds, leaving four seconds left. But the Pistons won anyway because they made so many effort plays.

• Ben Wallace had 16 rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block.
• Jonas Jerebko had 12 points, eight rebounds and a steal.
• DaJuan Summers even came off the bench to get a fourth-quarter steal and block – both off Carmelo Anthony, who scored 40 points. Summers hit a big 3-pointer, too.

I’ve said that I’ve always felt bad for Atkins because he did everything the Pistons asked of him in his first stint in Detroit. He just wasn’t good enough to hold the starting job when they signed Chauncey Billups.

But Atkins remained a true professional, and he still is. That’s why he made the team this year against all odds. Dumars wanted the influence of the 11-year pro.

And I think last night was a perfect example of Atkins’ attitude rubbing off.

An impressive win, but…

I hope Atkins enjoys this win – especially since it came against Billups, who pushed him out of Detroit six season ago.

In his postgame press conference, Detroit coach John Kuester talked about the Pistons’ “courage” and called the game a “gutsy win.”

The Pistons won the second game of a back-to-back for the first time in six tries this season. And they did it with Richard Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, Ben Gordon and Will Bynum all out due to injury.

It’s easy to get caught up in how the odds were stacked against Detroit.

But Kenyon Martin was out for Denver. And the Nuggets were playing their final game of a four-game, six-day road trip. The last game of a road trip against the opposite conference might be one of the toughest games to win in the NBA.

Denver is a good team, and Detroit’s win streak is four games. But this was hardly season-defining.

On the other hand, it’s nice being in a position to find faults in wins.

Position: Point guard

Age: 35

Height: 5-foot-11

Weight: 185 pounds

Years pro: 10

From: South Florida

Role

Atkins will be the team’s third point guard. If he plays regular minutes, there’s a problem.

Scouting report

Will: Make me happy.

I always felt bad for Atkins. He was the starting point guard when the Pistons went from 32 to 50 wins, and he did everything then-Pistons coach Rick Carlisle asked of him.

But But Detroit brought Chauncey Billups in the next year. Billups was bigger, more talented and ready to become one of the league’s top points guards.

Atkins went to the bench, a role that doesn’t really suit him. He’s a streaky shooter and needs minutes to get in rhythm.

He was good enough to help the Pistons turn around. But he wasn’t good enough to make Detroit elite, like Billups did. So, he was cast aside after toiling on the bench for two years.

I feel for a guy who did all he could, and it still wasn’t enough. By making the team this year, Atkins finally has karma swinging in his direction.

Won’t: Play.

Rodney Stuckey, Will Bynum, Ben Gordon and maybe even Tayshaun Prince will see minutes at point guard before Atkins gets on the floor.

Must improve: His point guard play.

Before the season, Atkins talked about how he had become more of a true point guard in the last few years. I’m not sure how true that is since he played just 56 games the last two seasons, but that also means there’s little reason to assume it’s not.

“Over the years, I’ve learned how to hold back and do other things and let the scoring game come to me,” Atkins said. “So, I’ve learned over the years. I was a young, brash kid when I first got here. I’m a little older now.”

Atkins said the main thing he’s learned is how to conserve his energy. There’s no need to burn out right when he enters the game.

“The game may not dictate you scoring a lot of points at that time,” Akins said.

Know of any point guards on the Pistons who sometimes try to score too much and tire because of it – either in the course of a game or a season?

If Atkins keeps improving his ability to be a true point guard, his value as a mentor will increase.

Stock

Rising

Atkins appeared washed up when Detroit signed him for training camp. And he still might be, but at least he made the roster. That’s a pretty big upset.

Three predictions

1. Stuckey will repeatedly praise Atkins for mentoring him.

Joe Dumars is banking on Stuckey being the future of the franchise. Without having observed training camp, I have to think Atkins made an impression on Stuckey. That would be the most logical reason Atkins made the team.

2. Atkins will be a positive force in the locker room.

I don’t think Atkins will even be active for more than 25 games this year. But I think, as a 10-year veteran, he knows how to act.

Sometimes, you can put up with shenanigans from your star. But it makes no sense to allow nonsense from your 14th man. In that sense, Atkins was a good signing.

3. Atkins will be in the NBA, but not Detroit, next year.

Atkins was in the right place at the right time to make the roster this year. The odds of everything working out in Detroit again next year are pretty slim.

But I think a year with Arnie Kander will do his body wonders. I don’t see Atkins, 35, retiring quite yet, and I think he’ll be healthy enough to latch on somewhere.

“97.1 The Ticket has learned that the Pistons are bringing back guard Chucky Atkins. The veteran point man, recently released by Minnesota, will receive a non-guaranteed tryout with Detroit. Atkins has been invited to the team’s training camp, which opens Tuesday”

Looks like the Pistons are moving in reverse. I can’t wait until they trade Atkins and Ben Wallace to Phoenix for Grant Hill.