Cade Cunningham and the Detroit Pistons have been playing their best basketball of the season, winning five of their last seven games.
They’ve been playing much better defensively over that stretch and were able to grind out a clutch win over the Pacers with 12-1 run even though it was the second game of a back-to-back.
These are good signs for a young team trying to take the next step towards sustained success and the Pistons look to be building chemistry that will help them make the leap next season.
One thing that I love about the young core of Cade Cunningham, Saddiq Bey, Isaiah Stewart and Killian Hayes is that they play hard and give effort on the defensive end. All of them have flaws in their offensive games (some more than others), but they are giving effort that is showing up in the hustle stats.
This is especially important for Cade Cunningham, the leader of the team, as he is setting a positive example that even the stars need to do the little things, which trickles down to everyone else.
Here are the Detroit Pistons’ leaders in key hustle stats.
Cade Cunningham and the Detroit Pistons: Hustle stats
Deflections per game
- Killian Hayes 2.4
- Cade Cunningham 2.3
- Hamidou Diallo 2.2
Hayes leads the team in deflections per game, which is not surprising, as he is adept at using his size to create havoc in the passing lanes. Cade Cunningham is just behind him, as is Hamidou Diallo, who has led the NBA in steals since late December.
This puts the three of them in the second tier defensively for guards, but that is very promising considering their age and experience.
Detroit Pistons: Hustle stats
Contested Shots per game
There has been a lot of talk this season about how the Pistons need additional rim protection, and I do think that is the case, though the recent addition of Marvin Bagley III may have lessened that need.
Both he and Isaiah Stewart are contesting a lot of shots at the rim, and Cade Cunningham once again finds himself near the top of a key hustle stat.
- Isaiah Stewart 11.9
- Marvin Bagley 7.6
- Cade Cunningham 6.8
Beef Stew is 6th among all NBA players in contested shots per game, so even though some consider him undersized, he is affecting shots at a high rate. His number is only one behind Rudy Gobert, who is considered the best defensive center in the league.
Cade Cunningham is 6th among all guards in the NBA, so the Pistons’ two young players are contesting shots with some of the best defenders in the league.
Stewart is improving in another area as well as he continues his strong finish to the season.
Detroit Pistons: Hustle stats
Screen assists and points created
One area where Isaiah Stewart must improve is in the pick-and-roll, as right now he is not much of a threat to pop out for a jumper or roll to the hoop for a lob and dunk.
I do think those things will come over time, and there are signs that he is getting better in this area, particular when it comes to the pick part of the pick-and-roll.
Stewart is averaging 3.3 screen assists per game for the season, which create 7.2 points per game on average, which puts him in the range of guys like Dwight Powell and Nikola Jokic.
But he has picked that up lately. Over his last six games, Stewart is averaging 5.7 screen assists per game which are leading to 12 points per game on average, which is more in the Steven Adams/Domantas Sabonis range of screen setters, two of the best in the NBA.
Beef Stew still has a long way to go in the pick-and-roll, but he is getting incrementally better, which is all you can ask for from a young player. Now he just has to improve his jumper and his passing out of the short roll and he can be a real weapon for the Detroit Pistons offensively.
The young Pistons are putting in the effort, which you love to see from the guys who represent the future of the franchise.