The Pistons made a shocking move by trading away Jaden Ivey, but receiving Kevin Huerter in return could have a huge impact. Huerter has been a respected 3-point shooter throughout his career but also quietly developed his all-around game in recent seasons. If he can find his sharpshooting touch in Detroit, he’ll be a perfect fit that can be the Pistons’ missing piece - just like Dennis Schröder a year ago.
Kevin Huerter is one of the NBA’s most underrated players
Huerter has been quiet since getting traded to the Bulls last season, but his development helped Chicago exceed expectations during that time. Once labeled just a shooter, Huerter has grown into much more. In recent seasons, he’s improved on all his weaknesses to become a better overall player.
However, Huerter’s biggest strength has seemingly regressed in recent seasons. On paper, adding him to the Pistons should only support their young stars like Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren due to his reputation as a shooter. But in reality, he’s shooting just 31% from deep this season.
Still, the Pistons have hope that Huerter can regain his shooting touch next to a prolific playmaker in Cunningham. We’ve seen other shooters like Malik Beasley and Duncan Robinson have resurgent seasons on the Pistons; it’s no stretch to think Huerter will have a similar transformation.
If “Red Velvet” can get this silky smooth jumper back to expectations, his growth elsewhere makes him a perfect marginal upgrade. Huerter’s defense has improved vastly since his early days, and will be helped even more by Detroit’s ecosystem. He’s also much better as a dribbler and scorer inside the arc than he’s ever been, as evidenced by his career-high 2-point percentage this season.
In some ways, acquiring Huerter is reminiscent of the Pistons’ trade last season for Dennis Schröder. They made a sneaky acquisition then to fill a big need - backup ball handling to support Cade. Now they do the same for an under-the-radar shooter.
Having multiple shooters between Huerter and Robinson also gives the Pistons more options in a playoff setting. Now they can have two real floor spacers on the court at once or ride the hot hand of either player. It recreates their dynamic last season with Beasley and Tim Hardaway Jr, themselves two veteran shooters who competed on both ends.
Kevin Huerter won’t single-handedly take over games for the Pistons, but he can help them win in many ways. Huerter’s versatile skillset can have a major impact for a contender like Detroit. And his shooting should be a game changer if he can return to the form he displayed a season ago. Although a largely unheralded acquisition, Huerter has the chance to be one of this year’s most underrated pickups.