The Detroit Pistons know who is running the offense when Cade Cunningham is on the floor, but the question is who will run it when he’s not.
Cunningham played a career-high 35 minutes per game last season with a 33.2 percent usage rating that was among the highest in the NBA. Heavy usage eventually took its toll, as Cunningham didn’t have the legs to hit 3-point shots in the playoffs after carrying the offense and often three Knicks defenders on his back.
It would be nice to put a little less regular-season mileage on Cade if they can afford to, but assuming he plays around the same next season, that leaves 13 minutes of point guard duty to fill.
The Pistons have options, but all of them come with big question marks.
Jaden Ivey
We’ve talked about the importance of Jaden Ivey’s return ad nauseam, but it really is the most important X-Factor of next season.
When it comes to backup point guard duties, he’ll be replacing Dennis Schroder, a veteran who took care of the ball, averaging 5.3 assists to just 1.3 turnovers per game for the Pistons.
Compare that with Ivey, who averaged four assists to three turnovers in his 30 games last season, and you can see the potential problem.
Ivey was far better at attacking in transition or as a secondary ball handler than he was as a lead guard last season and has yet to prove he can handle that role.
It comes down to decision making and pace, and Ivey has to get better at making the right reads and picking his spots to explode, especially when he’s the one leading the offense.
People are just penciling him into this role, and assuming JB Bickerstaff will stagger Cunningham and Ivey, but he may have other ideas of how to fill those minutes.
Everyone else
Could Marcus Sasser step into a bigger role off the bench? He’s not really a point guard either but can control the offense in stretches, though he mostly does it to orchestrate shots for himself.
Newcomer Caris LeVert has averaged around the same number of assists as Ivey for his career but has done it with fewer turnovers, so he’s an option to lead the offense in short stretches, as is Ausar Thompson, who has shown a knack for slick passes but has to improve his handles.
We may see all of the above as the Pistons try to fill those 13 minutes without Cade.
The answer is hopefully Jaden Ivey, who will have a chance to lead the offense when Cade Cunningham is on the bench, but the Pistons need to see more before they can commit to this idea long term.