Few players meant more to their team last season than Cade Cunningham meant to the Detroit Pistons, as he is not only the engine of their offense but one of their best perimeter defenders.
It would be hard to ask Cunningham to do much more, as he already dominates the ball and is the Sun of a heliocentric offense that revolves around him. Hopefully that offense will have more spacing now that the Pistons have more than one good shooter, but they will face similar problems if Cunningham is the lone focal point for defenses.
If Cade does have another leap to make, it’s not just his 3-point shooting and turnovers, it’s his ability to impact possessions in a variety of ways even if he isn’t scoring.
Cade Cunningham needs to better use his gravity
Cunningham is going to create gravity whether he has the ball in his hands or not, so it’s something he can better take advantage of to make the Pistons’ offense less predictable.
That would include initiating quickly and giving it up early to relocate in the half court. Often times Cunningham dribbled out possessions and was forced into late passes or tough shots, which also helped pad his turnover numbers.
He’s also a good catch-and-shoot 3-point shooter, as we saw in the playoffs when he knocked down nearly half of his attempts. When the double comes, instead of dribbling into it, Cade needs to give it up early and relocate, which will have a ripple effect.
He’s going to drag defenders with him no matter where he goes, so Cunningham can create gravity by relocating more effectively after initiating the offense.
I would also like to see Cade used as a screener more often with Ausar Thompson and Daniss Jenkins on the ball, as it forces defenses into multiple decisions and gets Cunningham more opportunities in the catch and shoot and as a secondary attacker when the defense is scrambling.
All of these things give teams different looks and make the Pistons less predictable in the half court. With more shooters to account for, JB Bickerstaff has a chance to get more creative with how he uses Cunningham to open up space for his teammates.
Detroit was so painfully predictable in the playoffs last season that it made it difficult to even initiate offense, as Cleveland and Orlando were jumping everything as if they knew exactly what was going to happen.
Moving Cunningham around in the offense draws attention and defenders, so he can be more impactful as an offensive player without scoring. It’s up to coach Bickerstaff to take advantage of Cade’s versatility by using him as more than just an initiator.
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