The Detroit Pistons made what turned out to be a savvy move at the deadline to bring in Kevin Huerter in exchange for Jaden Ivey
On Thursday night, the Detroit Pistons approached their home game on the second leg of a back-to-back eager to flush any remnants of their loss to the Atlanta Hawks the night prior.
So after falling in overtime to one of the league’s hottest teams, the Pistons aimed to turn the corner against the New Orleans Pelicans at home, and they accomplished that goal with a 129-108 win despite one of their longest injury reports of the season.
With Cade Cunningham and Isaiah Stewart still sidelined of the more long-term variety, the Pistons were also without veterans Caris LeVert and Duncan Robinson for the Eastern Conference battle, but it was the pivotal performance from Kevin Huerter that has Trajan Langdon looking like a future-teller.
Huerter, who moved into the starting lineup for the first time with Detroit in lieu of all their injuries, had a big opportunity to help out the Pistons when they were both shorthanded and light in the depth department. So, Huerter took his 34 minutes and turned them into an efficient 22 points on 9-for-14 shooting. Huerter connected on four big triples during the contest, and the former Chicago Bulls wing finally showed what he can offer Detroit when he’s entrusted with a large batch of playing time.
At the Trade Deadline, Langdon opted to deal Jaden Ivey to the Bulls in exchange for Huerter, Dario Saric and a first-round pick swap with the Minnesota Timberwolves. In the immediate aftermath of the trade, Huerter took some time to settle into a Detroit squad that was already in rhythm and in first place of the Eastern Conference. Ivey, on the other hand, was thrown quickly into the mix with a Bulls squad that was searching for players to fill out their rotation amongst a bevy of guard options.
Over his first couple weeks in Motown, Huerter battled through a few DNPs sprinkled in around his otherwise sparse playing time, but Red Velvet kept working for the time when the Pistons called his number.
That time was Thursday night against the Pelicans.
The more that Huerter has played for Detroit recently, the more impact Huerter has had for the Pistons, and his contributions were evident in the team’s double-digit win at home against New Orleans. On the other side of the Pistons’ deadline deal, Ivey has battled through another rough patch with the Bulls.
Several weeks back, Ivey received the first DNP of his career, which was quickly followed by a concerning media session where the former Piston said that ‘the old JI’ was gone. Not long after, Ivey was shut down due to knee soreness, and the fourth-year guard was recently ruled out for the rest of the regular season. So, now that more than a month has passed from the Trade Deadline, Langdon’s move to bring Huerter into the fold looks to be a pragmatic move that unfolded in Detroit’s favor before the pick swap is even taken into consideration.
Huerter was certainly productive in Detroit’s win, but he was not alone in his scoring effort with Jalen Duren anchoring the paint. Duren led the Pistons with 30 points as the All-Star big man recorded another massive double-double with 10 rebounds to round out his performance. In Cunningham’s absence, Duren has accepted the responsibility as Detroit’s primary scoring threat, and JD has shown that he can produce at a high level while maintaining the efficiency that’s become a calling card for the big man over his four seasons in the NBA. Against the Pelicans, Duren shot 83% from the field while scoring 30 points on just 12 shots as a pinnacle of tidy work on the offensive end.
Daniss Jenkins had a particularly notable shooting streak from beyond the arc as the squad’s starting point guard drilled five three-pointers during the contest.
The Pistons will have Friday night off before they redirect their attention to the Minnesota Timberwolves for a road game at 5:30 on Saturday, March 28.
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