With the Detroit Pistons landing the first overall pick after the 2021 NBA Draft Lottery, the team is now set up to select the consensus top prospect, Cade Cunningham, come draft night on July 29th.
Despite saying that trading the first overall pick is an option for Detroit, Pistons GM Troy Weaver may have tipped his hand in a recent interview with Sirius XM’s Rick Kamla and Pistons legend Rick Mahorn. The GM entering his second year had a lot of praise for Cunningham’s game.
"“The number one thing you like about the guy is that he is a big time competitor, and that is what we’re looking for here in Detroit.” -Troy Weaver Via Sirus XM NBA Radio"
Detroit Pistons: Cade Cunningham fits the Pistons mold and culture
Why would Cunningham not be the type of player Weaver would want to bring to Detroit? The 19-year-old point guard out of Oklahoma State is a superb scorer from all three levels of the floor, his solid three-point shooting would go a long way towards helping a Detroit team that ranked 22nd in baskets from beyond the arc, and his 6-8, 220-pound frame fits the prototypical build Weaver has sought out in his acquisitions thus far in his tenure.
It would be a surprise if Cunningham was not in a Pistons jersey come the first game of the 2021-22 NBA season.
Cunningham would make a great addition to this Pistons roster. He would make a great addition to any roster for that matter. the 19-year-old will enter the league as one of Detroit’s top scoring options and a top playmaker as well. He will hit his bumps along the way as all rookies do, but the point guard will immediately be the favorite to win the NBA’s Rookie of the Year award, at least at the beginning of the season.
The addition of Cunningham would leave a big question mark on Detroit’s backcourt rotation entering next season.
Detroit Pistons: Killian Hayes and Cade Cunningham can be elite playmakers and defenders
The Pistons spent their first-round pick last year on another point guard, Killian Hayes. The seventh overall pick of the 2020 NBA Draft, Hayes struggled in his rookie season. Injuries hampered the 19-year-old’s ability to develop as he missed 40 straight games due to a hip injury.
Hayes finished the season having played in just 26 total games and shooting a well below league average 27.8 percent from three. His play improved to close out the season, and Hayes showed flashes of why Detroit selected him seventh overall.
Despite struggling to get his shots to drop last season, Hayes showed flashes of creativity as a shot creator. The 6-5 point guard was a positive for Detroit on the defensive end of the floor as he had active hands and played passing lanes well. Most importantly, Hayes was Detroit’s best playmaker on the offensive end. The 19-year-old showed a natural passing ability and dared to make difficult passes as well.
Like Hayes, Cunningham is a solid player on the defensive end of the floor. His 6-8 frame and seven-foot wingspan allow him to disrupt passing lanes and hold his own in one-on-one situations. Cunningham has the makings of a solid playmaker as well. The Oklahoma State product did not rack up many assists in college, only 3.5 assists per contest, but his tape shows a willing and creative passer, especially out of double teams and in the pick-and-roll.
Unlike Hayes, Cunningham is a threat to score from beyond the arc. The point guard shot 40 percent from three-point range in college.
Combined, Hayes and Cunningham would make a reliable duo on the defensive end of the court, and their playmaking would provide Detroit a more dynamic offense. The issue with this pairing comes primarily with Hayes’ struggles to efficiently shoot the basketball.
Last season, Hayes not only struggled to score from beyond the arc, but he struggled to score from all three levels. The 19-year-old shot 35.3 percent from the floor in his rookie season.
Ideally, Cunningham would be the Pistons’ lead ball-handler for the majority of Detroit’s possessions while allowing Hayes to take over responsibilities when Cunningham rests. Hayes’ struggles to efficiently shoot the basketball could seriously hinder Cunningham’s ability to initiate the offense as Detroit’s primary ball-handler.
With the ball in Cunningham’s hands to start the offensive possession, defenses can immediately sag off Hayes who has not earned their respect as a shooter. That gives opponents help in the paint if Cunningham were to drive to the hoop. It will also make double teams on Detroit’s top scoring options easier as the defense will feel more comfortable rotating late on a guy who they believe is likely to miss his three if they were to give it to him a decent look at the basket.
Unless Hayes can drastically improve his three-point shooting as he heads into his second NBA season, teams will not respect him as a scoring threat as an off-ball guard.
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.