The Detroit Pistons are 5-2 for the season after an impressive road win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday. They are locked in and will surely be a candidate for a top-four seed in the Eastern Conference. To feel better about their chances to contend, however, they need more from one of their main offseason additions, Caris LeVert.
Through the first two weeks of the season, LeVert has been nowhere near what the Pistons hoped he would be. He already missed three games due to a hamstring injury, and he has been a non-factor in the four games he played, leading some to question the two-year, $29 million contract the Pistons gave him in the offseason.
Caris LeVert Is Off to a Concerning Start to Pistons Tenure
LeVert is playing 19 minutes per game, significantly lower than his previous seasons. While it's understandable that JB Bickerstaff would want to bring him along slowly, what is more concerning is his lack of production in those minutes. The 31-year-old shooting guard is averaging 5.3 points, one rebound, and two assists per game, on a miserable 43.4 True Shooting Percentage. He has been inefficient from all over the floor, but the biggest worry is his lack of involvement in the offense.
The Pistons need LeVert to take some load off Cade Cunningham, not only as a floor spacer, but also as a pick-and-roll operator and playmaker. However, LeVert has a career-low usage rate (15.5%) through four games, and he is only taking two threes per game. Detroit needs him to create, shoot, and score more, especially with Jaden Ivey sidelined.
LeVert will almost certainly play better. It would be difficult for him to play worse. Yet, even then, his fit on this team is questionable if Bickerstaff isn't actually going to give him the ball and let him be a bigger part of the offense.
When Ivey returns, this will be an even bigger problem. Ivey and LeVert are similar players, at least offensively. Ivey will get chances to run the offense, especially when Cunningham is on the bench. How LeVert is utilized in those lineups, though, will be fascinating to watch.
If LeVert is going to be further marginalized after Ivey's return, one has to wonder whether signing him was the best use of resources for the Pistons. Going with a better shooter who can fit around Cunningham and play off the ball could have been a smarter move, but it's still early in the season, and let's hope the Pistons don't continue to regret it.