Detroit Pistons: Cade Cunningham and Killian Hayes can be an elite duo

Detroit Pistons: Will Cade Cunningham play more off the ball?

Head Coach Dwane Casey could decide to run Hayes as the primary ball-handler with Cunningham as an off-ball guard. There is not a lot of tape of Cunningham playing off-ball in college as the 19-year-old had a usage rate of 29.1 percent. That number is similar to Pistons’ power forward Jerami Grant who had a usage rate of 28.5 percent. Scouts believe Cunningham will be a threat both as a point guard and as a wing player, but with a high usage rate in college, it is still yet to be seen how good he can be in an off-ball role.

With Hayes as the main ball-handler in transition and half-court sets, his struggles to shoot the ball would be minimalized as he would be the team’s facilitator on the offensive end rather than someone waiting for a spot-up jumper.

If the goal is for Hayes and Cunningham to pair up in the backcourt for the majority of games, running Killian at the point guard spot and Cunningham in an off-ball/wing role would be the best way for Detroit to run their offense. Until Hayes becomes a reliable shooter, he cannot be relied upon to play an off-ball role.

Another option for Detroit would be for Hayes to come off the bench and start another player at the shooting guard spot. In this situation, the Pistons either bring back Hamidou Diallo to start or Josh Jackson slides back into a starting role in Casey’s rotation. Diallo would be the ideal starter alongside Cunningham as the 22-year-old shot 39 percent from three-point range in his 20 games with the Pistons. Diallo enters restricted free agency this offseason so it is no guarantee that he will return for the 2021-22 season.

While not a very reliable three-point shooter, Jackson is at least a threat to score as a slasher attacking the rim.

Frank Jackson could be another potential option to start, but the 6-3 sharpshooter is likely better served as a shooter off the bench for Detroit. Jackson, like Diallo, is a free agent this offseason.

Hayes off the bench would pair well with Jackson. As a threat to score from beyond the arc, the 23-year-old Duke product would make a great partner for Hayes in the backcourt as the 19-year-old develops his shooting touch from all three levels of the floor.

A rotation where Hayes is splitting time with Cunningham rather than pairing them together maximizes the spacing for Detroit next season. While ideally, Weaver and Casey would prefer to pair the two young guards together, Detroit’s offense as a whole would likely be better served if the two 19-year-olds played in separate lineups until Hayes can develop into at least a respectable shooter.