Pistons injury report shouldn't change JB Bickerstaff's accidental discovery

Daniss Jenkins was forced into the Detroit Pistons’ starting lineup when Duncan Robinson went out with a back injury and head coach JB Bickerstaff kept him there even when Robinson returned, which he should do again tonight. 

Duncan Robinson, Caris LeVert and Kevin Huerter were all listed as questionable for last game, and they are again in game seven.

Jenkins was outstanding in game six, once again taking care of the ball as he has all playoffs (zero turnovers in 31 minutes) and knocking down some clutch shots late in the game. 

It’s nothing new for Jenkins, who has been much better as a starter this season, averaging over 17 points, 7.4 assists and 3.6 rebounds in 19 games in the starting five this year. There are some guys who just prefer to start and play better when they do and Jenkins appears to be one of them, at least this season when he has stepped up again and again when called upon. 

Even though he was forced there by an injury, coach Bickerstaff may have stumbled into an accidental discovery the Pistons can lean into in game seven. 

The Pistons need another ball handler 

One of JB Bickerstaff’s goals in the last game was to keep Cade Cunningham fresh after his superstar was gassed in the previous losses. Cunningham was doing too much on offense, and it was taking its toll, so having another ball handler in the game is a great counter. 

Jenkins brought the ball up for most of game six and took some of the burden off Cunningham to be the sole creator in the offense. Jenkins is one of the only Pistons who can break down the defense off the dribble, and even if he doesn’t find someone right away, he at least forces the defense to react and get out of position. 

Jenkins as a starter also allowed coach Bickerstaff to bring more shooting off the bench in the form of Duncan Robinson, while protecting his sore back from big minutes. Robinson was very effective in 20 minutes and was less of a liability on defense playing against bench guys. 

And if coach Bickerstaff continues to turn to Caris LeVert and Marcus Sasser, it will allow the Pistons to always have a ball handler on the floor who isn’t Cade Cunningham. This was a huge change in game six, as the Pistons went small at times to mitigate Cleveland’s traps and limit Cunningham’s exposure to double teams. 

It’s hard to change something that has been working all season, as the Pistons’ normal starting five has been one of the best in the NBA, but in this matchup, Jenkins makes sense regardless of injury status, as he gives the Pistons a solid ball handler next to Cunningham who can disrupt a defense and keep Cade fresh. 

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