One of the most important things head coach JB Bickerstaff has brought to the Detroit Pistons is stability.
Unlike previous seasons, every player on the Pistons knows their role, roughly how much they are going to play each night and what is expected of them when they do.
There are no egos on this team, so we’ve not heard complaints or seen players sulking about minutes, as Bickerstaff has gotten his roster to buy into the team-first concept from Cade Cunningham down to the last guy off the bench.
Coach Bickerstaff has used a 10-man rotation for most of the season, adjusting to put Ausar Thompson in the starting five when Jaden Ivey went down with injury, a move that coincided with the Pistons taking off.
He will likely tighten that rotation if the Pistons make the playoffs, and there is one guy in particular who will almost certainly find himself out of the rotation in the second season.
Detroit Pistons’ rotation: No role for Simone Fontecchio
If you had to name the most disappointing Pistons player this season, it would certainly be Simone Fontecchio, which isn’t the worst thing considering he’s basically their 10th guy.
Unlike every other player in the rotation, Fontecchio has not been able to carve out a role for himself after looking like a free-agent steal last summer.
Tek’s play and contract aren’t killing the Pistons, but he has not been good this season, which is disappointing considering the tear he went on late last season for Detroit, a stretch that is starting to look like an anomaly, especially of late.
Fontecchio has been out of sorts all season, but he’s been particularly bad of late, as he is averaging just five points and three rebounds per game in his last 25 games, while shooting 34 percent from the floor and just 24 percent from long range.
This is not a guy who is an elite defender (even worse when he has to guard fours) and isn’t going to make plays or do much off the dribble (I cringe every time he puts it on the floor), so long-range shooting is pretty much all he provides. If he’s only going to shoot 24 percent, then he’s giving the Pistons nothing.
His shooting numbers are essentially identical to Ron Holland’s over the last 25 games, the difference is that Holland is a rookie who the Pistons aren’t counting on as a shooter. Holland also brings a lot of other things to the table in terms of defense, transition and hustle, which Fontecchio does not.
If JB Bickerstaff does shorten his rotation in the playoffs, Fontecchio likely isn’t going to be in it, though it would be nice for him to catch fire as the season winds down so that he can finally make an impact after signing a two-year deal last summer.