JB Bickerstaff's rotation tweaks started but there may be more coming

One of the biggest questions for the Detroit Pistons heading into their second-round series with Cleveland was whether JB Bickerstaff would stick with his rotation from round one or make some tweaks, and we got an early answer last night. 

After being benched in round one, Ron Holland II got 10 minutes of action last night and did what he’s done all season, which is make things happen. It’s never pretty with Holland, and three of his points did come on a desperation buzzer beater (how big were those?), but Holland was a +8 in 10 minutes, made a couple of hustle plays and got out in transition. 

His energy got the crowd going, and it was nice to see Holland get some positive run after a disappointing first round. 

After not leaving the bench in game seven against Orlando, Caris LeVert saw nine minutes of action. He did grab two rebounds and played decent defense, but his inability to score (especially at the rim where he has missed a ton of layups) continues to be a problem for Detroit. 

Their minutes came at the expense of Javonte Green, who only played for three minutes last night. He did manage to nail a buzzer beater 3-pointer himself but also got blown by several times and didn’t look great. 

We may continue to see more of Holland/LeVert in this one and less of Green, though we know coach Bickerstaff trusts the veteran Green as his glue guy and won’t hesitate to get him back in there. 

These small tweaks do matter, as Cleveland’s bench has the chance to be a difference maker in this series, and Detroit’s has to hold their own. 

But there is one bigger change we may see soon. 

Isaiah Stewart does not look 100 percent 

I am just speculating here based on the eye test, but it looks as if Beef Stew was laboring a bit last night. 

Even though he did make both of the shots he took, Stewart passed up a couple of open looks and drives that he normally takes and wasn’t nearly as aggressive with his challenges at the rim. 

The Pistons struggled to get rebounds when Stewart was in the game and had to sub him out to bring Duren back in when the Cavaliers got close in the second half. 

If Stewart is not 100 percent and can’t keep the Cavaliers off the offensive glass, then JB Bickerstaff may have to turn to Paul Reed for some of those minutes, as Reed has at least provided energy and rebounding every time he has stepped on the floor. 

We know Reed will be ready, as he has stepped up all season, so if Stewart continues to struggle, coach Bickerstaff may have to dig deeper into his bench for rebounding. 

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow