If the Detroit Pistons are finally going to turn things around, it starts with Cade Cunningham.
When my head hits the pillow, I dream of Detroit dominance. Occasionally, I wake in a cold sweat with images of broken plays, unforced turnovers, and frustration fouls still blurred by nightmare’s ambiguity.
Cade Cunningham could be the solution to my sleepless nights. By all accounts, he’s had a great summer. He’s healthy. He played well in scrimmages against Team USA, and he’s going to be bigger, stronger, and in peak form to start the season.
What would need to happen for my nightmares to turn into a dream season?
Detroit Pistons: Cade Cunningham needs to stay on the court
Playing 76 games across two seasons, 64 in his rookie campaign and 12 as a sophomore, Cade Cunningham will look to stay on the floor for at least 82 games for the Detroit Pistons next season. Conditioning and taking care of his body will be the keys to Cunningham’s future. The professional life is physically demanding, and many players struggle with the jump from college to the daily toll of an NBA season.
Let’s hope Cunningham learns what his body needs to recover and what specific aspects of conditioning he needs to develop to accommodate how he moves on the court.
Detroit Pistons: Cade Cunningham needs a supporting cast
This season the Detroit Pistons have the most balanced roster they’ve had in years, which should help Cunningham be more efficient.
Harris, Burks, and Bogdanovic should provide perimeter shooting, which will spread the floor and create opportunities for Cunningham to increase his assists. With sharpshooters on the floor, driving lanes should be open.
The depth at the five should provide lob threats if rotations are properly timed, which, having watched Phoenix, I expect will be a point of emphasis in an offense orchestrated by Monty Williams. With the floor spread by the shooters mentioned above, Duren, Wiseman, and MB3 should be setting picks and rolling to the basket or rotating to get into position to rebound and return missed shots.
Athleticism on the wings between Ivey and Thompson should relieve the demands on defense and allow for more off-ball movement, and competent backup point guard play, whether from Hayes, Sasser, or Morris, should allow Cunningham to play at his own pace. He can rest a few more minutes a night, and he won’t be forced to rush shots, to try to make up for a deficit created by the bench, or to play outside his comfort zone.
Cade Cunningham should be creating plays, running the floor, and distributing the basketball for the Detroit Pistons
Cade Cunningham’s skillset doesn’t translate to an ability to score on demand, at least not yet. While he’ll play best with the ball in his hands to start the offense, he should create a play in the first seven seconds of the shot clock, then move without the ball, and if the team hasn’t scored, he should get the ball back in the last seven seconds of the clock to take, create, or assist on a final shot developed from an organized sequence. This type of team cohesion will lead to the Detroit Pistons playing winning basketball and Cunningham emerging as the best version of himself.
Cunningham’s career effective field goal percentage is only .453. League average last year was .545. Cunningham isn’t a poor shooter, but he was forced to take over five threes per game and over eighteen shots per game last season. All this shooting while averaging only 5.6 assists per game over both years.
That’s not Cunningham’s game. He should be averaging seven plus assists per game, three good threes, and around fifteen shots with an above average field goal percentage.
While Detroit’s improved and developing roster should allow Cunningham’s game to be more efficient, the most important shift this year will be in how Monty Williams utilizes that roster. The coach will need to put players into positions that maximize their skillsets, and the players will need to execute plays designed around their individual abilities and preferences.
Cunningham has the size, athleticism, and intelligence to be an elite player. This year, hopefully, everything will be in place for him to realize his potential and lead the team to the next level.
When that happens, I’ll enjoy easy, dream filled nights of NBA basketball.