When the Detroit Pistons acquired Kevin Huerter at the trade deadline, there was hope that he could provide them with much-needed shooting off the bench. He was thrown into the fire right away, playing 48 minutes in the first four games after the deadline. When he struggled in those games, however, head coach JB Bickerstaff pulled him from the rotation. Huerter has been a DNP-Coach's Decision in the last three games.
This is understandable. The Pistons are especially deep in the backcourt and have found impeccable team chemistry built on defensive intensity. There is very little to change things up when you are winning. Over the weekend, Bickerstaff addressed this, saying that he has been struggling to find minutes for Huerter. He also added that he believes Huerter is "a guy who's going to help us down the stretch and into the playoffs," per Chicago Sports Network's KC Johnson.
Bickerstaff shouldn't wait until later in the season to give Huerter more minutes. The Pistons had one of the worst shooting performances of the season on Monday against the Spurs, going 7/36 from beyond the arc. This wasn't the first time Detroit's inability to hit shots cost them the game this season. Giving Huerter a chance in these situations should boost the Pistons' offense.
Pistons Have to Find Minutes for Kevin Huerter
Huerter may not be a panacea. He has made 30.6 percent of his 3-pointers this season and 33.8 percent last season. He is certainly trending downward as a shooter. At the same time, he has enough of a track record that he will always be guarded out there, providing spacing for his teammates. There is some inherent value of Huerter being out there, even if he is not hitting shots, but there is also a benefit to giving the veteran shooting guard a chance to see if he can find his shooting rhythm. During the first five seasons of his career, Huerter was a 38+ percent shooter from downtown. If he can get back to anywhere near that level, it would go a long way in fixing Detroit's shooting woes.
There is also a ton of incentive for Huerter to put together a solid final stretch for the Pistons. The 27-year-old shooting guard will be a free agent this offseason. Right now, he is not on track to earn an eight-figure annual salary or a multi-year contract. Making an impact on a title contender, however, should help rehabilitate his value around the league.
The Pistons have a five-game cushion over the No. 2 seed Celtics. This allows them to experiment a little down the stretch to find the best lineup combinations. Bickerstaff has to take advantage of this reality and see if he can get something out of Huerter.
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