Duncan Robinson came away from last year’s games against the Detroit Pistons respecting the young team’s toughness, according to a recent article by Omari Sankofa II in the Detroit Free Press.
The Pistons and Heat had some wild games last year that included buzzer beaters and even a giant and rare mental mistake from Eric Spoelstra.
I would go as far as to say it was that game against the Heat that really changed the season for the Pistons, as it was the exact type of game they had failed to win for years, a sign that they were making progress.
Robinson also mentioned he admired how the Pistons shared the ball, a similar approach to the one taken in Miami where the ball stays moving.
Passing is an area the Pistons improved last season, and it’s one they can build upon as they create a more varied and dynamic offense around Cade Cunningham.
Detroit Pistons: Keep the ball moving
Detroit was 14th in assists per game last year, up from 20th the season before, so there was modest improvement even though the Pistons didn’t shoot the ball particularly well.
Cade Cunningham was near the top of the league in assists, and he and Jalen Duren hooked up for lobs at an elite rate.
But the Pistons’ offense was often stagnant in the half court, relying far too much on Cunningham to make things happen, a shortcoming that came back to haunt them in the playoffs when the Knicks threw everything at Cade and the Pistons didn’t have an answer.
The Pistons’ team assist numbers were carried by Cunningham, and when you dig deeper, it’s clear Detroit needs to move the ball more on offense.
The Pistons were just 26th in the league in passes made per game, as well as in secondary assists, meaning that the ball wasn’t moving much in the half court and most of the assists were coming from the primary ball handler, which was Cunningham.
Detroit didn’t shoot the ball well from long range, which accounts for some of the lost assists, but they were only 20th in potential assists, so it wasn’t just all poor shooting.
The Pistons’ guards had a habit of overdribbling, which contributed to their high turnover numbers, something that needs to change.
Robinson and Caris LeVert will help in this regard, as both are better connectors than Malik Beasley and Tim Hardaway Jr., who were mostly just looking for their own shots and only passed as a final option.
Robinson isn’t a great playmaker, but he’s a willing passer and knows how to keep the ball moving. You’d love to see Detroit’s secondary assist numbers go up so that all of the pressure isn’t on Cade Cunningham to create everything.
Getting Jaden Ivey back will help, as he and Cade can play off each other and share the playmaking duties, but the Pistons do need to move the ball more in the half court, run plays through guys who are not Cade and add more versatility and surprise to their offense.
Willingness to share the ball is a great quality in a team, and the Pistons need to keep building on that with more ball movement in the half court.