The Pistons player who shouldn't see the floor again in this series

Matchups change from series to series, and the Cleveland Cavaliers have not been a good matchup for Javonte Green of the Detroit Pistons. 

I should first say that the Pistons wouldn’t be where they are without Green, who was their glue guy this season, appeared in all 82 games and carried the Pistons through some injuries and slumps.

I should also say that Javonte Green is certainly not the reason the Pistons lost both games in Cleveland, particularly game four. The Pistons got a combined 16 points from Duncan Robinson, Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson, and they won’t win many games when that happens regardless of how any bench guy plays. 

But Green has been a defensive liability and isn’t doing the one thing that would keep him in the rotation. 

If Green isn’t making 3-pointers, then Ron Holland is a better option 

Green only played six minutes last night, but the Cavaliers attacked him for all of them. Green hasn’t been able to stay in front of Donovan Mitchell (no one could last night) or James Harden. 

These aren’t great matchups for him, as Green isn’t the quickest player and is better defensively when he can use his strength and quick hands against bigger players or at least ones without the quickness of Mitchell. 

The biggest argument for Green is that he has been a reliable 3-point shooter (especially from the corners) this season and the Pistons need all the shooting they can get. The Cavaliers would be more than happy to let Ron Holland II launch 3’s from anywhere, so Green is the obvious counter to create more space in the offense. 

But that hasn’t happened. 

Green has only made 26 percent of his 3-point attempts in the playoffs and has made just two in four games against the Cavaliers in limited action. 

The worst part is that most of them have been wide open, as Green has had 16 wide-open attempts in the playoffs and has only hit 25 percent of them. The Pistons need him to knock down more of these shots, otherwise they can just go with better defenders, as Holland has done a much better job on the Cavs guards. 

The only real positive from last night is that the Pistons got something going with Caris LeVert and Paul Reed, hopefully something they can build upon back in Detroit for the pivotal game five. 

Green is not losing the Pistons this series, but he’s part of a wider problem, which is that JB Bickerstaff hasn’t been able to find the right matchups or lean on the same roles he used in the regular season. 

The Pistons have to get more from their starters, particularly Duren, or the back of the rotation won’t matter, but coach Bickerstaff may have to tighten things up to maximize his defense. 

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