What could have been for UM if LeVert had been able to stay healthy. See how he does in Detroit but always liked this kid.
# Why ex-Piston Tim Hardaway Jr. helped convince Caris LeVert to sign in Detroit
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It wasn’t until the “last minute,” in his words, that Caris LeVert found out the Detroit Pistons wanted to sign him.
It didn’t take long for him to become sold on his new opportunity. It would be a reunion with his former coach with the Cleveland Cavaliers, J.B. Bickerstaff. He already knew team president Trajan Langdon from their time with the Brooklyn Nets, where Langdon was in the front office from 2016-19.
A phone call with his former Michigan teammate, Tim Hardaway Jr., sealed the deal.
“I talked to Tim probably the morning before I signed,” LeVert told reporters at the team’s practice facility in New Center on Monday, July 28. “We talked on FaceTime for a while. He was just telling me how great everybody was here, just reassuring me, letting me know that it’s a great organization, great people, obviously great players. He was definitely someone who I leaned on for this decision.”
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LeVert has earned a reputation as a reliable shot-maker and playmaker, and he brings size on defense standing 6 feet 6. He’s excited to reunite with Bickerstaff and looks back fondly on his time with the Cavaliers.
“JB brought out a different part of my game and I’ve always said that once I went to Cleveland I was asked to play defense and before then I wasn’t really asked to play defense,” he said. "I think that’s one of the stronger parts of my game now, and I think that’s because of how we played and just the importance he placed on it.
“Before I went to Cleveland, before I played under J.B., I was a different player. He challenged me to be a more well-rounded player that I am today. I’m definitely looking forward to this time around, for sure.”
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LeVert expressed confidence that he will be able to play off of Cunningham and Ivey. He’s been asked to play off of star guards in the past, including Trae Young and Donovan Mitchell most recently, and is carrying those experiences with him in Detroit.
“I can play with both of them,” he said. “I can complement both of them well. I shoot the ball well, off the ball. I can guard the best perimeter player on the other team. I can take ballhandling responsibilities, I can get them easy shots. I’ve been tasked to play with some really good players in my career and I’ve learned how to play off of them and I’ve learned how to get my game off with them as well. Kinda lean on those experiences.”