The Detroit Pistons are very likely to draft Cade Cunningham and one person who should be excited about that is forward Sekou Doumbouya.
Doumbouya has had two pretty forgettable seasons so far, arguably getting worse in year two as his numbers dipped across the board.
Part of this is definitely not his fault, as he came to the NBA as a raw prospect and then was promptly denied the Summer League and G-League that would have helped his development.
With a full offseason of work on his game and body, I do expect Doumbouya to have a miniature breakout season for the Detroit Pistons in year three, and if he doesn’t, he will be the odd man out.
Another thing that will help get him there is the addition of Cade Cunningham, who has superstar qualities on both ends of the floor and should make everyone on the team better, including Sekou Doumbouya.
Detroit Pistons: Cade Cunningham is going to create more space for everyone, including Sekou Doumbouya
The Detroit Pistons had a big problem with offensive spacing this season as they just didn’t have anyone who could break defenses down consistently enough or make the other team pay when they did.
Rookie Saddiq Bey was the closest thing they had to a 3-point specialist and the rest of the Detroit Pistons spent a lot of time watching Jerami Grant dribble.
With Cade Cunningham breaking defenses down and getting into the lane, there is going to be a lot more space, ball movement and good shots created by the offense.
This is going to help everyone on the team, especially Sekou Doumbouya, who needs to be more than just a jump shooter but needs more space to operate.
Detroit Pistons: Cade Cunningham will be able to take advantage of Sekou Doumbouya’s ability to run the floor
One thing about this past season was certain: Sekou Doumbouya shot too many 3-point shots.
He took nearly half of his shots from beyond the arc, a fact that wouldn’t be so alarming if he didn’t also shoot 22 percent.
Doumbouya was terrible in the half court, which makes sense, as he has only been playing organized basketball for a few years and is far more comfortable without the shackles of the half court.
Sekou looked best when he was running the floor, getting out on the break and finishing at the rim.
In the rare games when he was able to get out and run, it usually set up his jumper and made his overall offensive game more effective.
Cade Cunningham is going to get out on the break and has shown he can find guys or finish when he does. I expect the Detroit Pistons offense to play a lot faster next season, to push the tempo and try to use their young legs to wear teams down.
Sekou Doumbouya should benefit from this style of play, which will get him more opportunities where he is good.
Detroit Pistons: Cade Cunningham can get Sekou Doumbouya the ball in his spots
Far too often last season, Sekou Doumbouya just ran down the floor, went straight to the corner, and then stood there waiting to get the ball.
A lot of his shots were ill-advised 3-pointers with the shot clock running down after one of his teammates had thrown him the ball in desperation.
This is not an effective use of his skills, but for most of the season, the Detroit Pistons didn’t really have a point guard who was good at setting up teammates or getting them the ball in their favorite spots.
Doumbouya showed that he has some moves in the post, and I would love to see him get a few touches there per game and even to run some top of the key pick-and-roll with Cade Cunningham in order to get Sekou the ball moving towards the hoop.
Doumbouya has shown flashes of being a finisher around the rim, but the Pistons have to be able to get him the ball in his spots and not just standing in the corner.
Cade Cunningham’s passing ability should benefit Sekou Doumbouya, as he will be able to get him more shots moving towards the rim, rolling or in the post.
The Detroit Pistons should all benefit from adding a player like Cade Cunningham, whose biggest strength is “elevating his teammates.” Let’s hope he can do it for Sekou.