Through two preseason games, the Pistons fastbreak offense looks better than ever. The team is creating run-out opportunities by forcing turnovers and missed shots, and converting them at a high rate on the other end. One underlooked transition scorer who has shined so far is none other than All-Star Cade Cunningham.
Cade Cunningham is unstoppable in the open court
Cade’s role as a transition scorer is often overlooked because he is not considered an elite athlete. He doesn’t have the same top-end speed or verticality as someone like Ausar Thompson, but he can still get it done on the fastbreak. Cade has already proven that his athleticism is criminally underrated with some highlight plays so far, but he thrives in transition with a variety of skills.
When it comes to size and ball-handling, there are few in the entire NBA who can match Cade Cunningham’s package. He can simply bully smaller defenders going to the rim, and has the dribble moves to get around larger ones. This is already true in the halfcourt but becomes even more pronounced in the fastbreak when defenders don’t have a backline providing help defense after Cade beats them.
From watching Cade play early, he already appears noticeably stronger than last season. He’s taking contact more willingly and finishing through it, which is a deadly attribute to have in transition. It’s also led to more free-throw attempts for him, especially when he gets running. In two preseason games, Cade is already averaging more free throw attempts while only playing the first half than he did in entire games last season.
An underrated advantage for Cade comes out in the fastbreak: his change of pace. Defenders are used to him playing at a slower, more deliberate style in the halfcourt and can be caught off guard by his speed-up tempo in the open court. But Cade stays poised and in control regardless of how fast he’s moving, which helps him get to his exact spots and shoot the shots he wants.
Cade Cunningham was often penciled in as the outlet passer to kickstart the Pistons fastbreak attack, but he’s quickly showing that he can get his own points too. He’s proven more than capable of converting tough finishes on his own, while making it look easy as always. That being said, Cade is still a willing and elite passer who will set up his teammates when the opportunity calls for it.
His own scoring aggression makes it even harder for opposing teams to stop the Pistons on the break and frees up lanes for guys like Jaden Ivey and Ausar Thompson. Don’t worry, they will still get plenty of transition opportunities of their own but Cade Cunningham has also announced his membership into the fastbreak club.