Why Caris LeVert Could Change Everything for The Detroit Pistons

Why Caris LeVert Could Change Everything for The Detroit Pistons

players that we signed Caris Levert as you’re wearing that Michigan hat. We’re going to be talking about some uh Michigan guys. So, what did you like about this signing for the Detroit Pistons? Yeah, I I I think as far as for a player that you can pivot to given the circumstances that came at the 11th hour, I think that they got a guy who, you know, uh, as Tan said, gives them a lot of optionality. You know, he’s someone that, you know, uh, can fill a lot of different roles. is someone who’s who’s been through a lot of different experiences. He’s played on winning teams. He’s played on losing teams. He’s gone through, you know, a lot of those, you know, really difficult trials in the beginning of his career with some of the health issues. You know, he he he’s someone that’s seen pretty much everything that you can see in this league. And on top of that, like he he’s he’s very even keel. And I would say like both production on and off the court like I think he’s someone that like you mostly know what you’re getting out of Caris Levert. And I would say that this is kind of a good opportunity for him where he both can solidify himself like a pretty substantial role, but he also isn’t necessarily asked to come in and carry the world or or do too much. Like I think it’s kind of like a you know kind of a a perfect sweet spot. Now, I do have questions about his health just because he is a guy that um has only played like over 70 games like like two seasons out of his eight season career or nine-year career. Uh you know, some of that’s been health issues at the beginning of his career, that really weird uh like it wasn’t a fractured ankle or it was like a dislocation. It was like a really weird injury that he had. Um but then on top of that, you know, just some weird ankle stuff and things that come up. But at the same time, like I I don’t necessarily know if he’s a guy that like if he’s like missing, you know, like 10 plus games or like I don’t know if that will hurt Detroit every single night. Like you just you hope it’s on weaker nights. But um I I would say like with Caris, it’s it’s interesting because he’s kind of being talked about as a replacement, you know, for the backup point guard role, but he’s also kind of a replacement for Malik Beasley. He’s really not quite either, you know, and that’s why I I think this team is so interesting with the roster that’s constructed is even Tjan said today, I don’t like he doesn’t know definitively if this if this team’s going, you know, if this team’s better. And I that’s kind of where I’m at right now, too, is it’s not necessarily better. I don’t even know if it’s necessarily worse. It’s just different. Like the way that they’re going to have to go about things is a little bit different. And I think you’re going to have to like hope that you get like 70% of your three-point production from LeVert and Robinson combined that you got from just Malik last year, not even factoring in Hardway. Yeah. I mean, this roster is 100% different. I mean, like what Malik Beasley did last year, I don’t think we’re going to No one thought he was going to hit 300 threes in a season in the role that he had. And I’m not saying that Duncan Robinson or Caris Levert are going to hit 300 threes in the season because we just don’t know, right? I I think the one thing with Caris that I’m intrigued with is he’s a little bit taller than THJ and I would say he’s a better defender than Tim Hardaway Jr. So I I think defensively he’s a little bit better and ju just kind of looking at his last couple of seasons in the NBA. So in 22 23 he played 74 games. Uh 23 24 he played 68 games. Uh this past season uh he played 64 games with both the Cavs and the Hawks. So I mean you’re getting 65 70 games a year out of Carousel. You’re probably very ecstatic as a Piston fan. I mean you can kind of look at his you know uh just NBA career. There are some games where he didn’t even play 20 games because of injury, but um I I think the Pistons revamping their medical staff. Um you saw a lot of guys out there like Tobias, uh Malik Beasley, Tim Hardaway Jr. didn’t really see too many injuries last year and I think that was by design by Traion to target guys that play a lot of games and maybe this medical staff can keep Caris Levert healthy. Um I also like the ability of him handling the rock a little bit more. um just not being a a spot up shooter, you know, like likes to play in the mid-range. Uh can shoot a three. Um I think his three-point percentage is just looking it up right now. Over the past couple of seasons, it’s been, you know, pretty good. I mean, 37% with uh both the Cavs and the Hawks. I mean, 40% with the Cavs. I mean, it’s kind of dip down with the Hawks 33, but I mean, like, if he’s at least 35 to 38, I think as a Piston fan, you’re probably pretty excited. And and I think just the versatility with him as well is a clear upgrade over Tim Hardaway Jr. in my opinion. Anyways, yeah, he had a little higher volume in Atlanta and his role was a little different than his role in Cleveland. I actually think this is a place in Detroit again where I think he can fit pretty well. I think I think there were a little too many guards in Cleveland and a lot of guys that kind of overlapped what Caris was looking to do. Maybe just kind of got lost in the sauce a little bit there. Whereas I think in Detroit like I I I’m pretty confident that he can fit pretty well at this roster. I do have some questions about Levert and Kade on the court at the same time just because if you look at the analytics. Um they look they both like to operate in in the in the mid-range and and by the basket and uh you know that is something where I could see that kind of like overlapping a little bit. He’s someone that is a capable catch and shoot three-point shooter though. So, if he can, you know, if he can, you know, get that percentage to be around where it was or even potentially a little bit higher, I definitely think that’s something that can be worked out pretty quickly. But again, it’s definitely not a onetoone translation, you know, between either like a Malik Beasley or a you or a a Tim Hardaway Jr., But like you said, there are things like his size and in my opinion like his like his own selfshot creation that were just not things that were necessarily there as much from Malik and Tim Tim Hardaway Jr. There’s trade-offs for sure. Yeah. I mean like I kind of feel like if you’re looking at Tim Hardway Jr. um I think he’s more of an upgrade in the standpoint of he’s just more versatile I think. Um, but I mean who’s who’s gonna take those charges? Is Carris gonna step in and take those charges like Tim was last year, which I know bringing up charges is probably like a really silly point, but um, not with me. I love charges. Honestly, I would love to see a breakdown. I I’ve been trying to look this up for a long time. I would love to know how many charges Tim Hardaway Jr. took last year with the Pistons compared to the 2023 2024 Pistons combined because I’m betting that Tim took more. Just a hunch. Yeah, probably. Probably. I’d have to look that up. I’m not I’m not 100% sure, but um I I I like the signing. It’s not a long-term signing. It’s a two-year deal. Yeah, it’s a tradable contract. Yeah, that too. I’m I I’m just to the point where like I’m going to try to hold my judgment until I actually see these guys play on the court. Um I I don’t want to watch a bunch of just highlights and tape and film on these guys and just make an assumption when, you know, Harris could have a completely, you know, different role under JB. You never know, like his role might be a little bit different than it was in Atlanta than it will be with Detroit. Um yeah, I know that’s a long ways away, too. And I know people are just itching to talk about the fit and are the Pistons better, but I mean I have to actually see it with my eyes with Cade and all those guys out there because I don’t I don’t really know how they’re going to gel together, but I assume Caris is a smart enough basketball player where I I think he actually is a really underrated player um off ball. Like I I honestly think there could be situations where maybe Cade and Caris kind of share those reps where Cade’s bringing the ball up the floor and Caris is just playing off ball and vice versa. I I think Kade is shown the ability to play off ball in situations as well. So I just really like the versatility with him as a player. Yeah, no question. And again with with what Tan and and the Pistons front office were faced with right before the the window of free agency opened which I know officially teams were allowed to start talking to players on that Monday at 6 and you know there’s no there’s anti-tampering rules but Anthony we both know that agents had been talking to teams for weeks. So for the Pistons to be able to go in cuz again that would have been for a lot of teams I think they would have panicked under under lesser circumstances. So you know for them to go in and get someone around the same annual value that you were going to give Malik but at a year less and also like still bring some pretty quality skill sets, you know, to the table. Like I know people, you know, wanted to see a more flashy deal and I and I understand that, you know, it’s it’s fun to see the to be on the on the right side of of a Wogege bomb or a Shams bomb, you know, but at the same time, like I think this is the type of thing where it’s like we’ve seen this this Pistons front office or Pistons front offices in the past strike out or or whiff on these swings where I was like, I’m okay with hitting a single. I’m okay with getting a double. just get on base and let’s go from there. Yeah, I think they’ve tried in previous regimes, in previous years to try to go for the grand slam and they strike out. Yeah, I think if Carris is a double or a single, at least you know you got on base and you know at least you’re on the right track and I’m honestly okay with the move. Initially, I wasn’t the biggest fan and um I think that was just be me being a little bit reactionary at the time because the Beasley news just kind of caught me off guard. I’m sure it caught a lot of people off guard cuz I thought they were just going to run it back 100%. Like I I really didn’t think that like I thought it was just going to be Beasley and Schroeder, maybe Paul Ball Reed. But um the way they pivoted I I think you do have to um applaud them in that way. Yeah, you could have done a heck of a lot worse. Yeah. I mean, you really could

This week on Pistons Talk Podcast, Anthony and Sean broke down what they like about the Caris LeVert free agent signing with the Detroit Pistons.

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