The Detroit Pistons are off to an excellent start. Having defeated three title hopefuls in less than a week, the Pistons feel good about their chances of earning a top seed in the East and making a deep postseason run.
Head coach JB Bickerstaff is doing it the way he knows how. He is deploying a deep rotation and getting his guys to play hard. But his insistence on relying on veterans who don't deserve to be playing as much as they are continues. Last season, it was Caris LeVert who Bickerstaff just couldn't quit. This season, it's Kevin Huerter.
Kevin Huerter isn't doing enough to justify the minutes he is getting
It's difficult to understand why the Pistons' front office and coaching staff seem to be so enamored with Huerter. The veteran shooting guard wasn't particularly effective after joining Detroit last season, converting on only 29.4% of his threes. Yet, he still got a three-year, $27 million extension, well above what some of his counterparts got on the market.
His shot is still not falling. He hasn't made the impact the fans were hoping for. But he is still getting significant minutes off the bench. In fact, on Sunday against the Sixers, he played the most minutes of any bench player for the Pistons, with 26 minutes.
Huerter is shooting 35% from the field and 25% from downtown so far. He is averaging 5.7 points, 2.0 assists, and 1.3 turnovers in 21.3 minutes per game. He has yet to take a free throw for the season. For an offense-first player who is a defensive liability, this is nowhere near good enough.
In Huerter's minutes, the Pistons are -3 for the season. When Huerter is on the bench, they have outscored their opponents by 41 points.
Of course, this is a small sample. But this is also not new for Huerter. He hasn't been a high-level rotation player in several seasons. He hasn't hit above-league-average percentage from three since the 2022-23 season.
Bickerstaff clearly trusts Huerter. Perhaps he believes in the 28-year-old shooting guard's ability to turn things around and start hitting shots. Given the current injuries to Ausar Thompson and Isaiah Joe, he should, and presumably will, continue to get opportunities.
However, it may be time to shorten the leash. Ebuka Okorie and Chaz Lanier are waiting on the sidelines for their opportunity. Unless Huerter starts making an impact soon, Bickerstaff should seriously consider giving Okorie and Lanier a chance.
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