The primary goal of the offseason for the Detroit Pistons is to find a second star to pair with Cade Cunningham.
They not only have the 5th pick in the 2022 NBA Draft but also plenty of cap space, so they will hopefully end up with two impact players to put with Cade, Saddiq Bey, Isaiah Stewart and Jerami Grant (if he is not traded).
There has been ample speculation about who those players will be and which draft/free agent combo would be best to propel the Detroit Pistons to the next level as a team.
A big part of that is Cade Cunningham, who is now the face of the Pistons and the guy they are building around. The great thing about Cade is that just about any type of player fits with him, as he has a versatile game that can morph depending on what is needed.
With a player so easy to build around, the Pistons’ choices will come down to the best players available and their current team needs, which are many.
With those needs in mind, which type of player would be best for Cade Cunningham’s development and the Detroit Pistons as a franchise?
Detroit Pistons: Cade Cunningham and an explosive guard
Whether they find this player in the 2022 NBA Draft or in free agency, the Pistons definitely need an upgrade of talent at shooting guard.
Draft possibilities include Jaden Ivey, Shaedon Sharpe and Bennedict Mathurin, who would all give the Pistons a boost of athleticism and talent.
They are players like Jalen Brunson or Collin Sexton in free agency, proven scorers who can also handle the ball.
A player like this would definitely take some pressure of Cade Cunningham, as he was pretty much solely responsible for getting shots for himself and teammates for much of last season. Having an explosive guard next to him would give defenses another threat to worry about, open up more space for Cade to work when he has the ball, as well as another target to pass it to.
This would also give him more looks off the ball when defenses collapse to stop the other guard, which could help Cade tick up his shooting numbers from long range and better tap into his potential as a scorer.
Cade Cunningham and a quality center
The Deandre Ayton rumor is going to stay out there until he signs a contract or is traded, but the Pistons could also add a big man in the draft if they were to acquire a second pick in the first round.
A guy like Ayton would finally give Cade Cunningham a threat to work with in the pick-and-roll, and Ayton has already proven himself in this role in Phoenix. Cade created a lot of opportunities for the Detroit big men last season, but many of them were wasted when they couldn’t finish at the rim.
Having a guy who can catch a lob, and give Cunningham an outlet to dump it off to in an emergency would almost certainly lower his turnovers, as he just didn’t have that outlet this season.
A big man could help Cade as both a scorer and a facilitator, but potentially brings more defenders to the lane where Cunningham likes to operate. The Celtics and Warriors just showed us that you don’t need a traditional center in the NBA, but an upgrade at center would certainly help Cunningham.
Cade Cunningham and the 3-point sniper
If the Pistons strike out on Ivey, then a shooter like AJ Griffin could be an option, and Bennedict Mathurin is also considered to be a guy with 3-point shooting upside.
There are a limited number of shooters in free agency, but a trade for a guy like Duncan Robinson from the Heat is also a possibility.
The Detroit Pistons were one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the NBA, so they obviously need an upgrade here, which would definitely benefit Cade Cunningham.
Defenses were able to collapse and double/triple team Cade last season with impunity, as the guys he was kicking it out to weren’t much of a threat. Cade would undoubtedly benefit from the additional space a knock-down 3-point shooter would create for him as a scorer, and would get him a few extra assists per game when he draws in the defense and then kicks it out.
The truth is that the Detroit Pistons need all of these types of players, but I do think an explosive guard would help Cade Cunningham the most, and if that guy can shoot from behind the arc as well, even better.
If the Pistons could land two of these three types of players in the offseason, it should be considered a good one and will help Cade Cunningham take the next step towards superstardom.