Fans and media are extremely excited about all the growth that the young Pistons can make this season. With so many elite athletes looking to achieve their potential, the potential improvement of Cade Cunningham has gotten somewhat lost in the fray. But Cade can still take his game to another level despite already being one of the best guards in the league.
Last season, Cade averaged 26 points and nine assists per game, extremely high marks only matched by few others in the league. His talent has been clear for his entire NBA career, but he can grow his game more by being used in different ways. One potential addition to his game is playing out of the post more often, as he already excels there when he gets opportunities.
Cade Cunningham is a beast in the post
Post play has largely been phased out of most NBA offenses these days. Many teams only allow postups when players have a massive size advantage, and even then many modern bigs lack the fundamentals of a good post package. But there are some notable exceptions to the rule. The NBA’s most dominant offensive force Nikola Jokic still regularly operates out of the post and last year’s Clutch Player of the Year Jalen Brunson also dominated in the post despite being a small guard.
Like Brunson, Cade has the skills to dominate in the post as a guard. His post film shows an array of finishes, including hook shots with both hands, fadeaways in any direction and some good old-fashioned bully ball. He can even score effectively against taller defenders if they’re not used to Cade’s physicality. And if there’s a smaller guard on him, just forget about it.
Post-ups also double as an effective way of reducing Cade’s turnovers. He can have greater ball security when backing down a player versus dribbling into a crowd head-on. Against Dyson Daniels, who had a historic season racking up steals last year, Cade was able to use the post as an effective weapon. For a player whose biggest offensive weakness is arguably his turnovers, the post seems like a natural counter to throw in regularly.
Cade is also skilled enough and tall enough to continue making plays for others out of the post. Many big men get tunnel vision when posting up, but Jokic has shown the value of being a strong playmaker out of the post. Not only do you have the option to kick out to 3-point shooters, but post play can also open up opportunities to find finishers in the dunker spot - a valuable advantage when playing with Jalen Duren or Ausar Thompson.
In the playoffs, teams will have more time to gameplan against the Pistons and especially Cade Cunningham. They will do all they can to get the ball out of his hands, but going into the post can be an effective counter. It provides a different look and allows Cade to dominate in a way that today's defenses aren't used to. Posting Cade up could be crucial to advancing in a playoff series this season.