JB Bickerstaff's controversial strategy could save the Pistons

Head coach JB Bickerstaff of the Detroit Pistons has been criticized all season for his rotations, with some fans thinking he uses too many players and some not happy with the players he keeps running out there. 

Bickerstaff has run a deep rotation all year, and that was the case last night even with Cade Cunningham out, as the Pistons used 13 different players in their blowout win over Washington. 

Even in the non-blowouts, Bickerstaff has routinely used 11 players or more and has stuck with a couple of players even though they were struggling. 

With Cunningham expected to miss most of the rest of the regular season, if not more, Bickerstaff’s controversial rotation choices may end up paying off for the Pistons. 

The fringe players are ready for the Pistons 

If coach Bickerstaff had been running a tighter rotation all season, then some of these guys wouldn’t have seen the floor, which would be a huge disadvantage now that they are needed. 

Guys like Daniss Jenkins, Javonte Green, Caris LeVert and even Marcus Sasser, have played enough this season to stay in a rhythm and stay engaged, which isn’t easy if you aren’t ever playing.

Even though he shot the ball poorly last night, Daniss Jenkins is a player the Pistons trust and that’s only because he got reps early in the season. 

Coach Bickerstaff stuck with some of these guys through struggles, and he’s hoping that confidence and trust will pay off now that the Pistons need some unlikely players to step up. 

The Caris LeVert revenge tour 

The biggest criticism of JB Bickerstaff this season has been his continued use of Caris LeVert, and even though I struggled to understand it at times, it’s now clear why Bickerstaff stuck with him for so long. 

The Pistons desperately need LeVert to step up as a ballhandler and scorer with Cade Cunningham out and hopefully we are starting to see that. He had 14 points, six assists and five rebounds last night in just 20 minutes while shooting 5-of-8 from the floor. 

Yes, it was against the stinking Wizards, who are barely an NBA team, but we have to hope Bickerstaff’s patience with LeVert is finally paying off. 

LeVert is the bench player with the longest history of scoring and is a guy who has averaged over 20 per game for a season, so he is now more important than ever with Cunningham out. 

It’s not like coach Bickerstaff knew he was going to lose his best player, but he correctly reasoned that the Pistons would eventually need Caris LeVert, so he stuck with him, a decision that will hopefully pay dividends for the Pistons over the next few weeks.