To paraphrase the words of international assassin hero John Wick, “Yeah, I’m thinking I’m running it back.”
The Detroit Pistons are re-signing free agent wing Kevin Huerter to a three-year, $27 million deal. That’s a decent return for a core rotation player and represents about a 40% paycut from the long-term deal Huerter just concluded.
The 6-foot-6 Huerter was acquired at the trade deadline for Jaden Ivey, Dario Saric, and a pick swap. Huerter played about 500 minutes across 25 games for the Pistons,
averaging 8.6 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.5 assists. Heurter started his career as a noted 3-point marksman, but the shot has abandoned him over the years, including his time in Detroit.
He shot just 29% from deep on over four attempts per game for the Pistons. He did shoot 61% on twos and has been a high-efficiency interior player because he knows how to take advantage of his opportunities.
It might be a sign that the Pistons are largely OK with running back a 60-win team and hoping the addition of another shooter — in this case Isaiah Joe, is the piece that makes everything else fall into place.
Or perhaps this is a precursor to something larger. The calm before the storm.
His shot has never looked broken, it’s just been unreliable. And even without his three going down consistently, he provides enough on both ends of the court to make him a valuable rotation piece. However, I struggle to understand a lineup that employs all three of Duncan Robinson, Kevin Huerter, and Caris LeVert. Obviously, you’d take Robinson of any of the three, but it makes me wonder if Detroit is keeping Heurter because they have plans to route Robinson or LeVert in a separate deal.
