The Detroit Pistons have had their fair share of struggles in the postseason, but arguably the biggest thing hindering J.B. Bickerstaff's squad has been the lack of contributions from the supporting cast.
Cade Cunningham has been a one-man show, and outside of Tobias Harris rewriting his playoff reputation, the Pistons haven't given their star guard much help up to this point.
Jalen Duren is living in his own head, Isaiah Stewart is clearly not himself, and the sharpshooters on this roster are struggling to find a rhythm.
Detroit's fanbase has been calling for Bickerstaff to make adjustments, and although they fell short in Game 4, they may have finally pulled the trigger on the adjustment that very well could save them in this series.
Pistons shifted away from Isaiah Stewart in favor of Paul Reed
Duren's issues up to this point have been hard not to notice, but considering his role as an anchor in the frontcourt, there was no real situation in which the coaching staff could pivot away from the big man in the lineup.
Stewart, on the other hand, didn't have the room to offer minimal production during his time on the floor, and after continuously posting underwhelming performances, it was clear that if Detroit wanted to get out of this series, the most obvious lineup change would come at the expense of the struggling center.
And the one player who was clear waiting on his opportunity to step up was Paul Reed.
Reed impressed in Game 3, proving he could impact this series, posting 11 points in just 10 minutes of play.
It appeared that Bickerstaff and his staff realized the production the versatile big man offered, because Stewart's minutes were seemingly given to Reed in Game 4, and to say he capitalized on his extended run would be an understatement.
The 26-year-old offered much-needed scoring upside off the bench in Game 4, finishing with 15 points, four rebounds, and two assists on 7 for 9 shooting from field goal range and one three-pointer in the loss.
Although the rotation change didn't translate to a win, the move alone could be the reason Detroit swings the momentum back in their favor.
Bickerstaff's lineup adjustments could save them
Part of the reason why there was some concern about the premature extension of Bickerstaff after round one is that his lack of adjustments seemingly put Detroit in the situation they found themselves in before Cunningham's heroics saved them in round 1.
The same issues seemed to remain in round two, but the pivot from Stewart to Reed suggests he may finally be realizing rotation changes are needed for his team to remain alive in this series.
Reed is getting extended run, Caris LeVert may finally be coming alive, and if he can find more contributions elsewhere, the Pistons may be able to turn the tide in this series.
And as crazy as it may sound, Bickerstaff's adjustments could be the thing that saves them when it's all said and done.
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