Detroit Pistons Rotation Adjustment That Could Define Series vs. Cleveland Cavaliers

The Pistons have already played seven games this postseason and there are still stones left for head coach JB Bickerstaff to turn.

Detroit's first round series against the Orlando Magic was a really interesting one from a philosophical and schematic standpoint. The two teams were very similar in how they score points and in how they defend. The Cleveland Cavaliers are capable of scoring in all the ways Orlando knows how and more. The Cavaliers have the depth, explosiveness, and skill, but sometimes lack consistency, continuity, and toughness. Detroit has to and will prepare for Cleveland at their best, and Cleveland at their best is capable of winning basketball games in many different ways.

Bickerstaff did not maximize the full roster's potential against the Orlando Magic. When the Pistons needed more offense, he left offense on the bench. When the Pistons needed rim protectors and enforcers, he left defenders on the bench. The dust settled and Detroit emerged victorious, but there tweaks to Detroit's rotation that can make this upcoming series against the Cleveland Cavaliers an easier one to manage.

Give shooters more minutes without sacrificing defense

Ausar Thompson played just 32.8 minutes per game last series against Orlando compared to Cade Cunningham's 40.8 minutes. Thompson's value on the defensive end matches Cunningham's on the offensive end and they should be on the court together almost at all times. Thompson also doesn't do as much work on the offensive end to justify not receiving a bigger workload. Thompson's potential extra minutes are being distributed between non-shooters as well.

Tobias Harris, Javonte Green, Daniss Jenkins, and Caris LeVert all shot below 30% from three-point range last series. Harris is too offensively versatile and skilled to see a decreased workload, but exploring the depth of the roster beyond the top stars is worth trying at this point. Detroit beating Orlando while shooting just under 33% from three-point range in the series is almost a miracle. They were lucky to be matched with a No. 8 seed who also didn't shoot well from beyond the arc all season.

Marcus Sasser shot just under 42% from three-point range on 12 minutes per game this season. Sasser isn't just a serviceable defender, but he's scrappy and active defender on the perimeter as well.

Kevin Huerter is a seasoned offensive weapon who knows what pace to operate at in the playoffs. Huerter struggled to get comfortable in the rotation when he first got to Little Caesars Arena via trade in February from the Chicago Bulls, but found his rhythm late, shooting 32.9% from three in the games he played 20 minutes or more within his final 21 active appearances of the regular season, which is a mark well above his season average for both Detroit and the year as a whole.

Huerter also shoots just under 37% from three-point range for his entire career. He's also comfortable operating in the pick-and-roll as a ball handler and facilitator.

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Detroit's desperate need for spacing kept Isaiah Stewart off the court more than his regular season average. Stewart played just 14.3 minutes per game against the Orlando Magic, but still found a way to average 1.9 blocks and accumulate 20 personal fouls. Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen are two big men who accounted for about 22% of Cleveland's field goal attempts in their first round series against the Toronto Raptors.

Tobias Harris played the four throughout the entire series against Orlando. This won't be sustainable long-term if Mobley decides to assert his dominance on Harris.

Harris moving to the small forward position and Duncan Robinson moving to the bench, or Harris being the postseason's best sixth man are two options Bickerstaff might have to explore in order to keep Thompson and Robinson on the court together. Any moves that put Isaiah Stewart on the court alongside Jalen Duren is a move worth exploring.

Cleveland will be sure to test Detroit's toughness and their ability to adjust by involving Mobley and Allen heavily in their gameplan. Part of resisting that gameplan includes playing Thompson more, putting more shooters on the court throughout important parts of the game, and unleashing potential all-defensive team selection Isaiah Stewart on these Cavaliers.

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