Cade Cunningham was the conductor of the Detroit Pistons’ offense last season, and almost everything ran through him, but for the offense to progress, he’ll need to share the load and play more off the ball.
Cunningham had a 33.2 percent usage rating last season, one of the highest in the NBA, and it took its toll, as we saw Cade lose his legs on his 3-point shots in the playoffs.
He was also near the league lead in turnovers, partially because he had the ball in his hands so much and teams were selling out to try and stop him.
Even though the Pistons did jump up to 17th in offensive efficiency last season, that was largely on the back of their fast-break points, not the half-court offense, which still struggled mightily at times even with the increased spacing Tim Hardaway Jr. and Malik Beasley provided.
That put a lot of weight on Cade Cunningham to make things happen, which he often did, but he’ll need his teammates to step up if this offense is going to break into the top half of the league, which they will absolutely need to do if they want to be one of the NBA’s best teams.
The Detroit Pistons’ offense is too predictable
Right now, the Pistons are one of the easiest playoff-caliber teams to gameplan for, as you really just have to slow down Cade Cunningham and force someone else to beat you.
That job could be even easier next season with the Pistons using a starting five that has two non-shooters and questionable floor spacing.
Teams are just going to mimic what the Knicks did to Cade in the playoffs (double team him every time he touches the ball) until someone else proves there is a reason not to.
That may require Cunningham to play more off the ball, to use guys like Jaden Ivey and Ausar Thompson to set him up. He will need to be involved as a screener and look to get easier 3-point looks off Ivey’s penetration.
The Pistons will need to use Jalen Duren more as a passer in the short roll, something they did effectively at times in the playoffs.
But it can’t just be all Cade again, as shouldering the entire offense takes a physical toll, leads to more turnovers and makes the Pistons incredibly easy to defend.
The best result for the Pistons would be for Cunningham’s scoring average and efficiency to go up while his assists and turnovers take a dip, as it would mean more people were involved and occasionally setting him instead of the other way around.