While the Detroit Pistons have exceeded all expectations throughout the season, not every player has lived up to expectations. The first name that comes to mind that fits that bill in Detroit is Caris LeVert. The veteran shooting guard signed a two-year, $29 million deal in the offseason to bring more playmaking and shot creation, but has been in the midst of the worst offensive season of his career.
As a result, Pistons fans have been begging to see less of LeVert.
Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, much to the frustration of the fanbase, has reiterated his trust in the 31-year-old shooting guard throughout the season. He stuck with LeVert, consistently giving him around 20 minutes off the bench.
Fortunately, it looks like this may finally be changing.
Caris LeVert Finally Getting Marginalized in Pistons' Rotation
LeVert played 14 minutes in Detroit's win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday night, playing less than 15 minutes in a game only for the third time in 2026. In fact, LeVert played more than 20 minutes once in Detroit's last seven games, and that was the game the Pistons rested half of their rotation against the Thunder in Oklahoma City.
The Pistons had an 11-man rotation on Thursday. LeVert played the 10th-fewest minutes in the game and was seemingly behind the likes of Javonte Green and Kevin Huerter in the rotation. Bickerstaff didn't give him a single minute in the fourth quarter. Instead, Daniss Jenkins played the entire quarter on his way to 37 minutes on the night.
The fact that LeVert is playing so little, even while Cade Cunningham is out, doesn't bode well for his minutes once the star guard is back. Bickerstaff is giving Jenkins as many minutes as he can handle, marginalizing LeVert and Marcus Sasser in the rotation. Once Cunningham gets back on the court and is playing over 35 minutes a night in the playoffs, one has to assume that Jenkins will be his backup.
That doesn't leave much playing time for LeVert.
It's not like the Pistons have regretted this decision over the last two weeks. In the last six games LeVert has played in, the Pistons went 4-2 with a point differential of plus-36. In his minutes, however, Detroit was outscored by 23 points, continuing a frustrating trend all season.
Bickerstaff may have finally come to his senses right before the playoffs. Pistons fans would love to see the new minutes distribution continue as we get closer to the postseason.