We haven’t talked much about Caris LeVert, who signed a 2 year/$29 million free-agent deal with the Detroit Pistons this summer, but he will be a huge factor in their success in the present and future.
We’ve spent most of the offseason talking about the Malik Beasley drama, or speculating about extensions for Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren, with most of the focus on the improvement of the young core, which makes sense. The Pistons’ fate will ultimately be decided by the development of their young players, which is why none of them are X-Factors.
Caris LeVert could be, as he’ll be reunited with coach JB Bickerstaff, who he played well under, and is set up for the type of role that could see him thrive in Detroit. LeVert may get some ball-handling duties as the Pistons attempt a point-guard-by-committee approach when Cade Cunningham is on the bench.
Maybe I’m just Homer #1, but LeVert has a chance to have a mini-renaissance in Detroit if he does a few things next season. After that, his contract will be a valuable one for the Pistons.
Caris LeVert is the right talent on the right deal for the Pistons
JB Bickerstaff had everyone in a proper role last season and LeVert will have to accept that his is to be a scorer/defender off the bench.
The Pistons need him to replace the 16.3 ppg they are potentially losing if they don’t retain Malik Beasley, a possibility that is still up in the air.
As the roster currently stands, LeVert has a chance to seize that 6th Man role along with Duncan Robinson and be a guy who gets the Pistons 15+ points per game. He’s done that for most of his career but will need to do it more efficiently while also creating shots for his teammates.
LeVert has improved as a defender in his career, partially thanks to coach Bickerstaff, but he’ll have to buy into the Pistons’ defensive identity. If he does, the Pistons could have an elite bench defense with LeVert, Isaiah Stewart and Ron Holland. This is one area where LeVert could be a huge upgrade from Beasley and a real weapon for the Pistons.
LeVert will also need to win a few games for the Pistons with big scoring nights off the bench, something he has done well in his career. Last season between Cleveland and Atlanta, LeVert had nine games of 20+ points, some of them against top competition.
He scored 21 against Denver, 20 vs. the Knicks, 23 against OKC and had big nights against Memphis (25), Milwaukee (21), Indiana (26) and finished the season with 31 against Philly. LeVert is a player who can get hot and win you a game and given some of those teams are the Pistons’ biggest rivals in the Eastern Conference, it’s a hopefully a sign of things to come.
We have to hope for a healthy and productive season from LeVert, as he could be a huge X-Factor off the bench that no one is talking about.
On top of his skills on the court, Trajan Langdon smartly signed LeVert to a deal that would be easy to stack and move in a trade. We’ve talked a lot about the possibility of trading Tobias Harris on an expiring deal, and LeVert’s situation is the same as a reliable veteran on a short-term, relatively team-friendly contract.
That $15 million will come in handy if the Pistons are trying to match a big salary in a trade, so Langdon has again done well to find a good player on a contract that will eventually be an asset.