Kevin Huerter is making Pistons fans forget the biggest loss of the season

The Detroit Pistons were hoping that Jaden Ivey would evolve into the second scorer and playmaker this season, and for a variety of reasons, that didn’t happen. Detroit ended up trading him away in what was the only real drama of the season. 

Regardless of what you think of Ivey, it was a blow to player development and a big loss, one that could have potentially derailed the season. 

That didn’t happen either, and there is plenty of credit to go around for it. It starts with JB Bickerstaff, who never let it become an issue in the locker room. Guys like Daniss Jenkins stepped up in Ivey’s absence, and the team just continued to win even as Ivey struggled and was eventually traded. 

Lately, credit has to go to Kevin Huerter, who is doing many of the things the Pistons were hoping Jaden Ivey would do.  

Kevin Huerter is quietly making his mark 

Over his last nine games, Huerter has averaged over 25 minutes a game, so he’s made himself an important part of the rotation, and that will likely carry over to the playoffs. 

He’s averaged 12.4 points, 3.4 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game in that span while shooting 47.3 percent from the field, 40 percent from 3-point range and over 85 percent from the line. 

He’s certainly not the second scorer the Pistons were hoping Ivey would be, but he’s providing a good chunk of the production, doing it efficiently and not taking anything off the table in his minutes. 

Huerter is a decent defender and a very good connector who isn’t a ball stopper. He’s not going to blow by people off the dribble, but he can get to his spots and has been a much better than advertised passer who can set up his teammates. 

It’s pretty clear the Pistons won the trade, as they are not only replacing most of Ivey’s production but also moved up seven spots in the draft, which now looks like a monster haul for a player who is currently out of the league. 

The whole Ivey saga was unfortunate, and there isn’t anyone in Detroit who wanted things to end the way they did, but the Pistons have made the most of it like they have all season and just gotten on without him, just as they did last year. 

It now seems like ancient history, as Kevin Huerter is providing some of that secondary scoring and playmaking the Pistons were hoping to get from Ivey.