The Detroit Pistons are going to have to go through the New York Knicks if they're hoping to reach the 2027 NBA Finals. Whether or not Detroit actually plays New York in the playoffs, the Knicks are the defending NBA champions that lost three games the entire postseason—and two of them were during the first round.
Thankfully, even Memphis Grizzlies rookie Cameron Boozer can see what it will take to compete with New York: Having five players who can play with or without the ball in their hands.
New York's offense ran through All-NBA players Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, much as Detroit's revolved around All-NBAers Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren. The difference between the Knicks and Pistons, however, was perfectly summarized by Boozer, even if it wasn't necessarily his intention.
During a recent interview with Tony Jones of The Athletic, Boozer spoke about the 2026 Knicks and how they had five players on the court who could operate with or without the ball.
“Versatility is the name of the game. That’s what teams are looking for,” Boozer told The Athletic. “Teams want five guys who can make plays. Look at the Knicks this year. Everyone on that team was capable of doing more than one thing. Everyone was capable of playing on or off the basketball.”
As the Pistons look for ways to dethrone the Knicks en route to a title that would end a drought of their own, Boozer's take on the matter must be fresh in their minds.
Cameron Boozer: "Everyone on [the Knicks] was capable of doing more than one thing."
Detroit has seemingly become aware of the importance of diversifying its offensive attack. In 2025-26, it generally struggled to generate offense that wasn't created by either Cunningham or Duren, with the former ranking among the most overburdened players in the NBA.
For instance: No Piston other than Cunningham at 9.9 averaged more than 3.9 assists per game, which inevitably created an unsustainable system in which he effectively had a hand in everything.
New York, meanwhile, changed its offensive approach during the playoffs to incorporate Towns' passing into its attack as a high-post specialist. It also turned to OG Anunoby for volume isolation scoring, gave Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart chances to create for themselves and others, and accentuated the strengths of reserves such as Jordan Clarkson, Miles McBride, and Landry Shamet.
It may not have been the same player every night, but someone other than the stars consistently stepped up as a shot creator for the Knicks during the playoffs—all the while maintaining enough off-ball value to prevent opponents from cheating off of them.
The good news is that Detroit appears to have learned from watching New York. It brought in scoring and floor-spacing big John Collins, as well as sharpshooters Isaiah Joe and Taurean Prince. It also drafted a downhill scoring guard in Ebuka Okorie and was left grinning from ear-to-ear as second-year guard Chaz Lanier took a significant step forward at summer league.
The Pistons don't have to do everything exactly as the Knicks do it, but as Boozer noted, having players on the court who can work with or without the ball would be a massive step forward.
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