The Detroit Pistons await their first-round opponent after finishing the regular season with the best record in the Eastern Conference. Not playing their first playoff game until Sunday, the Pistons have plenty of time to figure out their game plan and playoff rotation.
Head coach JB Bickerstaff is fortunate enough to have one of the deepest rosters in the league. This gives him optionality in different positions. It also allows him to keep a short leash on certain players if they stumble out of the gate in the playoffs.
Pistons Can't Afford to Be Patient With Caris LeVert in the Playoffs
The shortest leash has to be on Caris LeVert. The veteran guard has struggled for much of the season. Bickerstaff stuck with him, much to the frustration of the fanbase. This can't continue in the postseason if the Pistons want to go the whole way.
LeVert was solid on the defensive end all season, and this is how he has earned Bickerstaff's trust. He executes, fights through screens, and can guard multiple positions. This has allowed him to stay on the court despite his lack of production on the other end of the floor. Against elite competition, however, one-way contribution isn't going to be enough. LeVert will have to find a way to be effective offensively.
On paper, LeVert has the necessary skillset to be a good fit in Detroit. He has been an improved shooter in recent years and has been a solid ballhandler and playmaker throughout his career. This season, however, his numbers have taken a nosedive across the board.
LeVert is shooting only 33% from downtown and is making a career-low one three per game. His free-throw attempt rate and accuracy are also at a career low. His turnover rate (16.1%) has reached a career-worst mark, despite a reduction in his usage rate. The 31-year-old's efficiency is way below league-average at 51.8% True Shooting.
This means that LeVert is touching the ball less and doing very little with it this season. He is not making enough shots to be an off-ball threat, but his individual efficiency and turnover rate are too bad to be trusted with the ball, either.
The Pistons already have enough perimeter players who are better on defense than offense. Ausar Thompson and Ron Holland already create offensive concerns. If LeVert is also a liability on that end of the floor, the Pistons will seriously struggle to score the ball efficiently.
That is why Bickerstaff can't be patient with LeVert in the playoffs. If Detroit gets off to a slow start early in the playoffs, he has to tinker with the rotation. In that scenario, LeVert would have to be the odd man out so that the Pistons can get more offense on the floor.
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