Flying Under the Radar: Jason Maxiell

At first glance, power forward Jason Maxiell appears as if he should be playing the in the NFL for the Detroit Lions, not the Pistons. Make no mistake about it though, the 6’7, 260-pound Maxiell belongs in the NBA and the Pistons are glad to have him.

Taken in the first round (26th overall) of the 2005 NBA Draft, Maxiell has quickly developed into a vital player for the Detroit Pistons, who have accumulated a 39-13 record on the season and are vying for the first-place spot in the Eastern Conference.

He may have the body of an NFL tight end, and not so much an NBA physique, but Maxiell has found his niche in pro basketball. Averaging just under eight points and five rebounds this season, the third year veteran doesn’t put up gaudy numbers and rarely dazzles fans, but his contribution can’t be measured in statistics. Maxiell does all the little things that need to be taken care of in order for teams to be successful, such as crashing the boards, boxing out, diving for loose balls; you name it, Maxiell does it for Detroit.

Backing up veteran PF Antonio McDyess, Maxiell brings energy off the bench by providing constant hustle and effort. While he isn’t the biggest player around, Maxiell will certainly mix it up in the post and isn’t afraid to get physical. His rugged interior presence also meshes well with McDyess and F/C Rasheed Wallace, who both prefer to do their damage from outside the paint.

While Maxiell has many positive attributes, he lacks a refined offensive game. He has virtually no shooting touch from outside the paint and doesn’t have many moves around the basket, and a majority of his points come from grabbing offensive rebounds and getting open looks when his teammates are double-teamed.

Offering of a high-motor, a rugged attitude, and sheer pleasure for banging around in the post, Maxiell is everything that the Orlando Magic wish they had in a backup big man. While Dwight Howard will likely have his hands full with either McDyess or Wallace, Orlando must hope that someone can box-out Maxiell and not let him dominate the boards. Orlando’s best bet is to play Brian Cook more than usual and hope his shot is falling in order to keep Maxiell out of the paint. If that doesn’t happen, look for the stocky Maxiell to camp-out in the lane and provide a presence inside for Detroit that can’t be measured in just the stat sheet.