It’s been almost two years since the Detroit Pistons enjoyed a full and available roster, which could change tonight.
Both Marcus Sasser and Duncan Robinson have been upgraded to questionable, so it may not happen tonight, but the Pistons are on the brink of having their full team, something we’ve not been able to say in a long time.
Marcus Sasser hasn’t played since last season, which will give JB Bickerstaff yet another weapon off his bench and Trajan Langdon another possible trade asset.
As great as it is to get these guys back (especially Robinson, whose shooting is so key to the Pistons’ offense), it is going to create an even bigger headache for coach JB Bickerstaff.
Detroit Pistons rotation: Who is in and who is out?
JB Bickerstaff has been using an 11-man rotation this season, and though it may help keep his players fresh and healthy, it is not sustainable.
I’ve already seen fans joking that JB is going to be the first coach this season to use a 13-player rotation once Robinson and Sasser return, and though I know these are jokes, I am not sure they are far off the mark.
Sasser will undoubtedly be on some limitations when he does return, so we could see him for a few minutes per game as he tries to get back into game shape.
But eventually, coach Bickerstaff is going to have to make some choices, and it probably starts with Javonte Green exiting the rotation. Green has arguably been better than Caris LeVert, but the latter is going to get the shot because of his offense.
Daniss Jenkins has had a couple of cold shooting nights, and if that continues, he too could be headed back to the bench in favor of Sasser. My guess is that when it comes to those two, the one who makes shots will be the one who plays.
It will also be interesting to see how coach Bickerstaff handles the Ivey situation. Ivey had his best game of the season in the loss to the Bucks and looks like he is close to ready for more minutes.
Will he go back into the starting lineup? If so, suddenly the Pistons’ best shooters will be coming off the bench, so we’ll have to see if Bickerstaff wants to keep more balance, but the Ivey/LeVert pairing has not been great, so we may see him re-arrange things once Ivey is ready to go for full games.
Trajan Langdon will also be keeping an eye on this, as he wants to build up Ivey as a possible trade asset at the deadline and would probably also like to showcase Marcus Sasser for the same reason, so coach Bickerstaff will have a bit of a juggling act to deal with here.
It’s ultimately a good problem to have, but these next few weeks are going to be interesting as the Pistons try to tame an unwieldy rotation and figure out how each player fits.