When asked if he would try to limit Cade Cunningham’s usage rate next season, JB Bickerstaff broke from his predecessors and said no.
No lies… JB Bickerstaff is Cade Cunningham’s first coach to reject any notion of reducing his usage.
— Brandon Dent | @WoodwardSports #DetroitKoolAid (@DetroitKoolAid) September 30, 2025
I asked if there’s any thought of it with additional ball handlers and it was a resounding: “NO.”
Cade’s previous 2 coaches each stated they wanted to bring his usage down. pic.twitter.com/pc2SL0q1ep
This has been a hot topic of conversation after Cunningham was forced to carry most of the offensive burden himself last season, particularly in the playoffs when it became painfully obvious that the Pistons needed a viable second option.
Cunningham had a 32.3 percent usage rate last season, which was 4th in the NBA among eligible players. The names in front of him (Giannis, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic) are perennial MVP candidates and no one is suggesting that they should have the ball in their hands less.
Superstars have the ball, and Cade Cunningham is a superstar.
But he did look gassed at times in the playoffs, where his 3-point shot abandoned him, and the Pistons’ offense was as predictable as any in the NBA because of its heliocentric nature.
I do agree that it would be nice to get Cunningham more easy looks that he didn’t have to create himself, but that doesn’t necessarily equate a lower usage rate.
More playmakers does not mean less Cade Cunningham
The Pistons are getting Jaden Ivey back and hope for a playmaking leap from Ausar Thompson, so they will have options they didn’t have in the playoffs.
Caris LeVert is also a guy who can make plays with the ball from the bench, which will hopefully give the Pistons a more dynamic half-court offense then they had last season.
Cunningham can be the beneficiary of this in multiple ways, both as a scorer off the ball and by seeing fewer double teams when other Pistons punish defenses for helping, which didn't happen consistently in the playoffs.
The offense is still going to run through Cade, and it should, as he has mismatches against just about anyone and can immediately create advantages for himself and his teammates.
If Jaden Ivey can continue to shoot like he did in 30 game last season and if we continue to see growth from Jalen Duren as a passer in the short roll, the offense should be more difficult to predict, which will benefit Cunningham more than anyone, as defenses won’t be able to focus all of their attention on him.
My guess is that Cade’s usage rate will go down slightly as a natural result of being in a more dynamic half-court offense (hopefully), but at the end of the day, JB Bickerstaff knows where his offense starts and would be silly to change that.