The Pistons are sorely missing reliable shot creation after losing Tobias Harris in the offseason, but Cade Cunningham already has a plan to make up the difference. This offseason, he has been seen working out with both Ausar Thompson and Ron Holland on their offensive games. Having either or both of the dynamic defensive wings take a jump as aggressive scorers would alleviate pressure from Cunningham and pay huge dividends for the Pistons offense.
Cade knows what his team needs most
The ideal situation this offseason may have been adding another proven shot creator, but the Pistons front office wasn't able to get that done for a number of reasons. Instead, Cunningham is now staring down the barrel of another season without a star second option to make his life easier. But seeing him step up to help his younger teammates progress in important ways is just what the Pistons want from their superstar.
Obviously, Cunningham has established himself as a surefire first option in the NBA's top tier of stars. He made First Team All-NBA last season and has led the Pistons to success in the last two years no matter the circumstances. Whether the Pistons had solid shooting around him or not, Cade has done enough to keep the Pistons afloat and winning games along with their great defense.
But the 2026 playoffs showed the limits of Cade's individual production when his teammates don't show up offensively. Outside of his own tough shots, the Pistons largely struggled to put up points in both of their 7-game series, especially with fellow All-Star Jalen Duren having a steep fall-off from the regular season. Heading into next season, the Pistons need more options to initiate their offense in the playoffs and that's where the 9-5 duo can come in.
Thompson and Holland hold the key to a deep playoff run
Both Thompson and Holland have already proven to be dominant defenders early in their young careers. But their offensive growth along with that strong defense will be the decider of their team's ceiling next season. A lot has been made about their poor outside shooting, but hitting a ton of threes won't even be necessary if they can find other ways to be aggressive on offense.
In the clips we've seen of the two working out separately with Cunningham so far, the focus hasn't been solely on hitting outside shots but also on getting to their spots against an actual defense. Cade can get them open corner threes all day long, but generating those will still be a burden on him until they're proven snipers. Instead, a ball-handling leap and better midrange scoring from Thompson and Holland would have a bigger impact on Cade's offensive workload.
The three young Pistons all seem aligned on taking the right steps to build a stronger team offense next season. Cade Cunningham is doing what franchise players should by taking on responsibility to personally build up his teammates and lead alongside them. If his efforts pay off next season, the Pistons could be a lot better than anybody is expecting.
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