{"id":713914,"date":"2026-04-19T12:54:37","date_gmt":"2026-04-19T12:54:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/713914\/"},"modified":"2026-04-19T12:54:37","modified_gmt":"2026-04-19T12:54:37","slug":"jb-bickerstaff-may-make-shocking-rotation-decision-to-break-playoff-tradition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/713914\/","title":{"rendered":"JB Bickerstaff may make shocking rotation decision to break playoff tradition"},"content":{"rendered":"

Head coach JB Bickerstaff of the Detroit Pistons has used an expanded rotation all season and may decide to stay with it in the playoffs.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Traditionally, coaches shorten their playoff rotations to nine players or so, which allows the starters to play more minutes and kicks some of the fringe guys to the bench.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

With everyone making predictions about what JB Bickerstaff will do<\/a>, he may just go against the grain of playoff tradition and stick with 10-11 guys. And there is an argument that he should.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Pistons are still recovering\u00a0<\/p>\n

Though Cade Cunningham and Isaiah Stewart were able to return for a few games before the end of the season,\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0still doubtful they are back to 100 percent game strength, which may mean they are not ready to play expanded minutes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Cunningham averaged over 41 minutes per game last season in the playoffs, and\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0hard to envision him playing that much as he is still\u00a0recovering\u00a0from a collapsed lung, especially in the first round.\u00a0<\/p>\n

That will\u00a0likely change\u00a0if the Pistons progress, but in the\u00a0early stages, I\u00a0wouldn\u2019t\u00a0be surprised to see the larger bench rotation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Pistons are deep and need to figure it out\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Pistons have been using their depth as a weapon all season, often burying teams with bench runs and high energy.\u00a0<\/p>\n

That depth has led to question marks about who should be playing, as\u00a0other than Isaiah Stewart, every other bench spot is up for grabs.\u00a0<\/p>\n

We\u2019re definitely going to see Dannis Jenkins and probably Ron Holland and Kevin Huerter, but you can\u2019t rule out Caris LeVert and Javonte Green.\u00a0Green played in all 82 games this season, so it would be surprising if he\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0see time in\u00a0the rotation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

LeVert is a guy coach Bickerstaff knows and trusts, so he too will get the call if someone else falters.\u00a0I\u00a0wouldn\u2019t\u00a0be surprised at all if coach Bickerstaff\u00a0used\u00a0all of\u00a0these players at times in the first series to try to find his best options and combinations.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The bench\u00a0has to\u00a0stay ready\u00a0<\/p>\n

Having 11-12 players who can be part of an NBA rotation is not a bad problem to have, but even if some of these guys\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0play right away, they\u00a0have to\u00a0stay ready.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This is not a concern, as they\u00a0have\u00a0done so all season, as\u00a0just about everyone\u00a0on the roster has played a role at some point due to injuries.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This does give the\u00a0Pistons\u00a0an advantage, as they can throw fresh bodies in without losing much and\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0have a clear-cut hierarchy outside of their top 6-7 guys, which makes them difficult to plan for.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It\u2019s\u00a0no certainty that JB Bickerstaff will get pigeonholed into a short rotation, so\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0be shocked if we see more than nine guys tonight.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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