When the Detroit Pistons traded for Kevin Huerter, there was a clear hope that they'd be landing a floor-spacing wing who could offer dynamic offensive value. Huerter is a career 36.8 percent shooter from beyond the arc who has diversified his offensive game to the point of being able to sporadically drive.
After a brutal first month with the Pistons, Huerter is finally finding his form and delivering the value the Pistons need from him.
Upon being traded to the Pistons, Huerter played nine of a possible 15 games. During that time, he averaged 4.8 points on .400/.167/1.000 shooting, playing a mere 14.7 minutes per game and struggling to make a positive impact on the team.
Since then, Huerter has appeared in eight of a possible nine games, averaging 10.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.5 steals on .471/.286/1.000 shooting in 22.9 minutes per contest.
After failing to score 10 points in any of his first nine appearances, he's done so in four of his past eight. Even when he hasn't, he's still played well, including the seven points, three assists, and two steals he tallied in 20 minutes during a huge win over the Los Angeles Lakers sans superstar point guard Cade Cunningham.
During his most recent outing, Huerter showed the Pistons exactly what they'd been hoping to see: The capacity for an eruption from beyond the arc.
Kevin Huerter drops 22 points in breakthrough performance for Pistons
Huerter stepped up with 22 points, three rebounds, two assists, and a steal in 34 minutes as the Pistons defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 129-108 on Mar. 27. It was his second-highest scoring performance of the season and his first 20-point game for Detroit.
Huerter managed the performance by shooting 9-of-14 from the field and 4-of-7 from beyond the arc in the type of showing the Pistons dreamed of receiving from him.
The promising sign is that this was Huerter's second fairly big scoring performance in four games. He tallied 14 points, as well as five rebounds, two assists, and two steals on 6-of-10 shooting, against the Washington Wizards.
In the two games in between those surges, Huerter tallied seven points and three assists on 3-of-6 shooting, and eight points and two assists on 4-of-9 shooting.
Huerter's outside shot has unfortunately been faulty since the trade to Detroit, but perhaps his stellar showing against New Orleans could be the beginning of a return to the mean. Even if he can't reach the 40.2 percent shooting he managed in 2022-23, he'd diversify the Pistons' offense if he can simply fall within the range of his career mark of 36.8.
Regardless of what happens with his outside shot, Huerter simply finding a way to contribute positive minutes is a massive win for the Pistons.