Can an NBA offense thrive with two non-shooters? The Detroit Pistons are about to find out.
Detroit’s starting lineup will likely include Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Ausar Thompson, Tobias Harris and Jalen Duren and there arguably isn’t a great shooter in the bunch. Ivey led the starters in 3-point percentage last season but only played 30 games.
Both Cade Cunningham and Tobias Harris are above-average shooters, though you’d like to see Harris shoot a few more per game and for Cade to knock down a higher percentage.
But Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson don’t shoot many 3’s at all, and for good reason, as neither of them have proven they can make them. At this point, they don't even look to shoot 3-point shots, so defenses can sag and play off them, potentially creating spacing issues.
It’s a lineup configuration few teams are using these days, as almost all of the top offenses have multiple 3-point threats and at least one forward who shoots them at a high level, something the Pistons lack in their starting five.
JB Bickerstaff is will have to overcome his biggest criticism, which is that he lacks offensive creativity, as the Pistons are going to need it to put a better offense on the floor next season. They do have some things going in their favor.
Detroit Pistons: Finding ways to score
The Pistons flashed some offensive creativity in the playoffs against the Knicks, as they started using Jalen Duren more as a passer out of the short roll which made it harder to put multiple defenders on Cade Cunningham.
The Pistons had some success using Ausar Thompson as a cutter in these situations, which allowed them to maintain spacing with Duren at the top of the key.
And they were doing this without Jaden Ivey, who not only provides another shooting threat, but another player who can attack the rim. We always reference shooting when talking about spacing but being able to attack with the ball is another way to create it, as defenses have to collapse, leaving players open.
We also have to remember that the starting five doesn’t play together for the entire game, and JB Bickerstaff has shooters he can mix and match into lineups to help avoid having two unwilling shooters on the floor all of the time.
We’ll also hopefully get more volume and accuracy out of Tobias Harris, as well as Ron Holland, who showed flashes of improved shooting in Summer League.
The Pistons aren’t being conventional by modern NBA standards, but they have ways to make it work, especially if they have an elite defense that can create easy shots in transition.