The Detroit Pistons wrapped up an impressive 60-win season on Sunday. After securing the No. 1 seed a week ago, the Pistons spent the final week of the season evaluating the back end of the rotation, getting veterans some rest, and ensuring Cade Cunningham played himself into shape.
Now, Detroit will have an additional week of rest as its potential opponents battle it out in the Play-In Tournament. On Sunday, the Pistons will host one of the Sixers, Raptors, Magic, or the Heat in their playoff opener.
In the regular season, Detroit benefited from having one of the deepest rosters in the league. In the playoffs, rotations generally shrink, with very few coaches using a ten-man rotation like Bickerstaff did most of the season. So, who will begin Detroit's playoff run in the rotation?
PG | SG | SF | PF | C |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Cade Cunningham | Duncan Robinson | Ausar Thompson | Tobias Harris | Jalen Duren |
Daniss Jenkins | Caris LeVert | Javonte Green | Ron Holland | Isaiah Stewart |
Marcus Sasser | Kevin Huerter | Paul Reed |
Who Will Be the Odd Man Out in the Pistons' Playoff Rotation?
Until further notice, the Pistons' starting lineup will be Cade Cunningham, Duncan Robinson, Ausar Thompson, Tobias Harris, and Jalen Duren. This was the Pistons' most commonly used lineup and the league's second-most used five-man group. In 1124 possessions, this lineup outscored its opponents by 12.2 points per 100 possessions, making it one of the best high-usage lineups in the NBA, per Cleaning the Glass.
Isaiah Stewart will be the first player off the bench. One of the best backup bigs in the league, Beef Stew should play over 20 minutes per game, including significant minutes next to Duren in two-big lineups.
Daniss Jenkins will have the backup point guard role to begin the postseason. With his performance during Cunningham's absence, the 24-year-old guard has secured his role in the rotation. Don't be surprised if he is on a shorter leash than some of his peers, however, given the stakes of the game.
The rest of the rotation will be more fluid. Bickerstaff has trusted Caris LeVert all season, much to the frustration of the fanbase. As one of the more experienced members of the team, LeVert will see some action as well, at least early in the playoffs.
The biggest question mark will be whether Kevin Huerter will be in the rotation. After struggling for much of the season, Huerter is finally making shots. The Pistons desperately need more shooting, so Bickerstaff could put him out there to see whether the veteran shooting guard can hit some shots. If he can't, he will presumably be on a short leash, too.
Huerter's minutes could come at the expense of Ron Holland and Javonte Green. Green was the only player to see the floor in every game for the Pistons this season, so it's hard to imagine Bickerstaff giving up on him too quickly, but we could see a reduction in his minutes. Holland consistently played around 20 minutes per game all season, but faces plenty of questions heading into the playoffs due to his serious shortcomings in Detroit's half-court offense. The second-year player could be the first one to lose his rotation spot if things start going poorly for the Pistons.
Marcus Sasser and Paul Reed, along with Chaz Lanier and Tolu Smith, will likely begin the playoffs outside of the rotation. Reed, however, will be an immediate option in the case of an injury or foul-related emergency in the frontcourt. Players on two-way deals, Wendell Moore and Isaac Jones, are not available to play in the playoffs.