The Detroit Pistons should spend the first half of this season experimenting with different rotations until they find what works, but after that, JB Bickerstaff will have to tighten things up.
The Pistons have been forced into using just about everyone on the roster because of injuries, and the reserves have answered the call, which is why the Pistons are currently in first place in the Eastern Conference.
But with Jaden Ivey back, coach JB Bickerstaff is still using an 11-man rotation, as he has at least that many guys who have earned minutes and it’s tough to choose who sits.
Those 11 players don’t even include Paul Reed, Marcus Sasser or Chaz Lanier, who would be getting minutes on a lot of teams. Sasser is nearing a return, which will add another possibility to the pool of players and make JB Bickerstaff’s life even harder.
For now, this is a great problem to have, as playing a deep rotation should allow the Pistons to stay fresh and hopefully avoid injuries to key guys. If they can keep winning this way, why not?
But as midseason creeps closer, JB Bickerstaff will have to lock in his rotation in for a run at the playoffs.
Detroit Pistons rotation: The second half of the season is for players to settle into roles
The Pistons will reach the halfway point of the season on January 19th in a game against the Celtics, and by then, the rotation should have settled somewhat.
Coach JB Bickerstaff has a tough job trying to work Ivey back in while figuring out where he best fits and which players best complement his skills.
By January, Ivey will hopefully be playing better and off any kind of time limitation, which will eat into the minutes currently being played by guys like Javonte Green and Daniss Jenkins.
As good as those guys have been, they are likely the ones who will lose minutes entirely when the Pistons go with a shorter rotation, as they have a clear top nine guys in Cade Cunningham, Ausar Thompson, Duncan Robinson, Tobias Harris, Jalen Duren, Isaiah Stewart, Caris LeVert and Ron Holland.
Barring a big trade, this will likely be the Pistons’ playoff rotation, so they will need to start locking these guys into roles and getting them into a rhythm.
It’s not a bad problem to have, as the Pistons have players they know can step in when they are needed, but there is a reason why you don’t see playoff teams running out 11-12 guys every game, as it’s tough to keep everyone happy and in a rhythm.
We’ll continue to see the deep bench for now, but with Green only playing six minutes in the last game, we may already be seeing signs of JB Bickerstaff starting to hone things in for the future.