Kevin Huerter Lands in Detroit, Ready to Carve Out His Role with the Pistons
DETROIT - Kevin Huerter’s nameplate is now fixed above a new locker in Detroit, a fresh start in a season that’s already been full of movement for the Pistons. Just days after the team traded Jaden Ivey to Chicago, Huerter arrived in the Motor City, stepping into a locker room that’s already built solid chemistry - and now expects him to find his place within it.
The 27-year-old sharpshooter made his Pistons debut Thursday night in a 126-117 loss to a depleted Washington Wizards squad. Huerter logged just six minutes, went 0-for-2 from beyond the arc, and didn’t score. But this game wasn’t about the box score - it was about beginning the process of integration.
“I got a call from Coach Donovan right before my pregame nap,” Huerter said, reflecting on how quickly things changed. “I thought he was calling to talk about that night’s game, since I hadn’t played the one before. But then he told me I’d been traded.”
At the time, Huerter was in Milwaukee with the Bulls, prepping for a game against the Bucks. Within hours, he was in transit - driving back to Chicago, catching a flight to Detroit, and arriving at Little Caesars Arena in time to watch his new team take down the Denver Nuggets.
Now, he’s settling into a locker room that’s both familiar and new. While he hasn’t played alongside anyone on the Pistons before, there are threads of connection.
Huerter, a New York native, shares AAU roots with teammates Isaiah Stewart and Tobias Harris through the Albany City Rocks program. He also faced off against Duncan Robinson and Caris LeVert in college.
“It seems like a really close group,” Huerter said. “There’s a few familiar faces from back home, and I’ve watched a lot of these guys from afar. I’m looking forward to getting in the mix.”
The Pistons are hoping Huerter can provide a jolt to their perimeter shooting. A career 37.1% shooter from three, he’s dipped to 31.1% this season - but Detroit is betting on a bounce-back. They’re currently 22nd in the league in 3-point percentage (34.8%), and Thursday’s 9-of-33 showing from deep underscored the need for a reliable floor spacer.
But Huerter isn’t just a catch-and-shoot guy. Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff sees a well-rounded player who can contribute in multiple ways.
“He’s a complete basketball player,” Bickerstaff said. “He can shoot, sure, but he’s also a smart cutter, he reads spacing well, and he can make plays in the pick-and-roll.
He’s not here to shake things up - he’s here to help. And we believe his skill set fits what we’re building.”
Huerter’s best season came in 2022-23 with the Sacramento Kings, where he averaged 15.2 points per game and shot 40.2% from deep. That year, he thrived in an offense centered around Domantas Sabonis, who assisted on 149 of Huerter’s buckets - more than twice as many as any other teammate.
While Detroit doesn’t have a Sabonis-level facilitator in the frontcourt, they do have Jalen Duren, who’s making strides as a screen-setter and dribble-handoff partner. Duren’s 112 screens this season already outpace any Bulls big man, and that could open up clean looks for Huerter as the chemistry builds. Add Cade Cunningham to the mix - currently leading the league with 9.8 assists per game - and Huerter could find himself in a very favorable offensive environment.
He knows it won’t happen overnight.
“It’ll just take time,” Huerter said. “This team’s had a lot of things go right this year.
I told J.B., just let me figure out how I can fit in. Their identity is already established - it’s on me to find my place in that.”
For Detroit to make a real postseason push, Huerter’s role could be pivotal. If he can stretch the floor and keep defenders honest, it’ll ease the burden on Cunningham and help open up driving lanes. That’s the kind of impact the Pistons are banking on.
But Huerter wants to be more than just a shooter.
“I’ve always looked at myself as a basketball player, not just a guy who does one thing,” he said. “I hold myself to a high standard.
Makes and misses happen, but I try not to get caught up in that. I’m glad Coach sees me as more than just a shooter - that’s how I see myself, too.”
There’s also a bit of a full-circle moment happening here. Huerter grew up a fan of the early 2000s Pistons - the tough, unselfish group that brought a title to Detroit in 2004.
“One of the first basketballs I ever had was a Detroit Pistons ball,” he said. “Chauncey Billups, Rip Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, Ben and Rasheed Wallace - that whole team was one of my favorites. I’ve always liked the Pistons.”
Now, he’s wearing the jersey of the team he once admired from afar. And while the circumstances are different, the opportunity is real. If Huerter can rediscover his shooting touch and mesh with Detroit’s young core, he could become a key piece in a team looking to make noise in the East.
For now, it’s about putting in the work, one rep at a time.