It is a well-established fact that the Detroit Pistons' biggest weakness is shooting. So, when they added Kevin Huerter at the trade deadline, many thought that he would play a significant role off the bench. The veteran shooting guard would add an off-ball element to a team that lacks shooting threats outside of Duncan Robinson.
Yet, Huerter's start to his Pistons tenure hasn't gone according to plan. After appearing in four games before the All-Star break, the 27-year-old was a DNP-Coach's Decision on Thursday against the New York Knicks.
The Pistons didn't need Huerter's offensive juice, either, as they put up 126 points at Madison Square Garden behind Cade Cunningham's ridiculous 42-point, 13-assist performance.
Kevin Huerter Is Already on Thin Ice with Pistons
Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff deployed a 10-man rotation once again. Caris LeVert, Daniss Jenkins, Ron Holland, and Javonte Green were the perimeter players off the bench. The fact that Huerter was buried behind this many players suggests his path to playing time may be a difficult one the rest of the season.
Huerter certainly faces an uphill battle to carve out a role for himself. The Pistons have been the best team in the Eastern Conference all season by a wide margin and have firmly established their rotations. There is very little reason for Bickerstaff to change what has been working so well all year. That is why Huerter had a small window of opportunity to prove himself when he first arrived in Detroit, but didn't make the most of it.
In his first four games as a Piston, Huerter was 1-of-9 from downtown. He was held to zero points in two of those games and was not very involved offensively. While it can be difficult to integrate into a new team mid-season, Huerter had to give Bickerstaff a reason to change things up. So far, he hasn't done so.
There will be more opportunities for Huerter in the final two months of the season. The Pistons will likely experiment with new lineup combinations as they head towards clinching the No. 1 seed. If Huerter makes enough shots and makes an offensive impact, he could still earn himself a role in the postseason rotation.
Huerter has to hope that is the case. He will be a free agent in the offseason. If he enters free agency as a player who was buried on the bench for a team that needed his skill set, his market will be tepid. The next few months will be crucial for the veteran shooting guard's future in the NBA.