Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren already appear to have taken their lob chemistry to another level that is going to help unlock both of their offensive games even more.
Cunningham looks like a seasoned veteran navigating the pick and roll, as he uses patience and pace to force defenders into bad spots. If the defense wants to press out on Cade, Duren is rolling to the hoop for the lob and Cunningham has been putting them on a string.
Both players are already clearly benefiting from this in ways that will elevate their individual games as they play off of each other.
Cade Cunningham
Duren draws plenty of attention when he starts rolling to the lane and we saw Wizards defenders caught in no man's land all night, which opened up lanes for Duren and shots for Cade Cunningham.
Defenses have still been trying to sag off Cade slightly, hoping to clog the lane for Duren's rolls, and so far in the preseason, Cunningham has been stepping back and taking the 3-point shots that are there.
This is something he vowed to do more of this season and so far he has, hitting 3-of-4 last night and making his pick and roll with Duren look unstoppable. If Cade can punish teams for cheating into Duren's roll lane by knocking down step back 3-pointers, the league is in trouble.
The duo is already arguably the best lob threat in the NBA, which is opening up other shots for Cade Cunningham and he's been aggressive seeking them out, which you love to see. We've talked a lot about spacing in the Pistons offense, but one way they can create more of it is if Cunningham is a more accurate 3-point shooter and starts stepping into more of them out of the pick and roll.
Jalen Duren
Duren and Cade already seemed completely in sync in the preseason and as Cade continues to punish defenses with a variety of shots, things are going to open up even more for Duren.
When defenses have to press out on Cade, it creates a lot of space in the middle for Duren to operate, either in the short roll at the key or deeper in the paint and he was able to take advantage of it last night.
It's s symbiotic relationship as the two create more space and better shots for each other, and while defenses are being hypnotized, cutters are looking for gaps to exploit, which is hopefully how Ausar Thompson will overcome his lack of 3-point shot.
Cade and Duren already have the lob game humming, and it is opening up more opportunities for both of them.