KEVIN Huerter

Huerter opened the year on October 5 against Phoenix with 4 points and no rebounds or assists in 17.9 minutes in a Detroit win. On October 10 he had his best night so far, 11 points, 2 rebounds and 3 assists in 18.0 minutes, though the Pistons lost to Washington. He followed with 3 points, 2 rebounds and 4 assists in 16.9 minutes against Minnesota, a win in which he was a plus-8. The October 16 win over Toronto was a near-DNP: 7.3 minutes and zeros across the line. On October 20 he gave Detroit 3 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists in 18.3 minutes against Boston and finished a plus-5 in another win. The scoring is thin, but the plus-minus has been positive in four of five games.

Huerter played 69 games for Detroit last season, averaging 22.5 minutes, 10.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists with 0.9 steals, 0.5 blocks and 1.0 turnovers. He shot 45.1 percent from the field, 30.8 percent from three and 77.5 percent from the line, good for a 55.2 true shooting percentage at an 18.4 usage rate. His plus-minus was a plus-1.2. The three-point number is the one to watch. A wing with his profile is supposed to make defenses pay from deep, and 30.8 percent last season did not do that. His efficiency held up overall because of his finishing inside the arc and his free throws, but the shooting from distance is the swing skill that decides whether he stays in the rotation.

Huerter's minutes shrank badly late last spring. In the first-round series against Orlando he played 18.5 minutes in Game 1 on April 19, scoring 3 points with 2 rebounds and an assist in a loss. He had 6.3 minutes in the April 22 win, then 14.9 minutes with 5 assists and no points in the April 25 loss. By April 27 he was down to 2.6 minutes. His last appearance of the postseason was 3.4 minutes against Cleveland on May 13 in a Detroit loss. Those numbers show a coaching staff that tightened its rotation and did not trust his shot in high-leverage spots. The early returns this season suggest his minutes have stabilized in the high teens, which is an improvement on how the spring closed out.

Huerter's name came up in a roundup of Pistons notes published October 1, filed alongside Collins and Holland and a discussion of the offense. There was no trade report, no contract news and no injury item attached to it. Read it as what it was: a preseason check-in on where a veteran wing fits in a deep rotation. Nothing since then has changed his status. He is on the roster, healthy and playing regular if limited minutes. If the Pistons keep winning at this pace, there is little reason for the front office to shake up a bench that is working.