The Pistons lost Game 3 in part due to Cade Cunningham’s struggles with inefficiency and turnovers, but even more so because of their play without him. Detroit struggled to create any semblance of offense without their star, as their secondary options faltered. Although the box score might point blame to Cunningham, the team is really struggling more without him on the court.
The Pistons need to be better without Cade
In just 9 minutes without Cade on the floor, the Pistons were outscored by 13 points. Their offense in particular looked awful during that time, as they were forced to rely on desperation attempts. In those non-Cade minutes, Detroit managed just a paltry 105.0 offensive rating - good for third to last in the playoffs.Â
Even though Cade himself needs to be better, the more glaring issue has often been the Pistons offense without him. It seems like all their usual offensive advantages, whether it be the movement of shooters or interior dominance, simply disappear without Cunningham. Most of this fall-off is driven by the absolute lack of ball-handling and playmaking elsewhere on the team, which doesn’t even allow for other strengths to shine.
The Pistons have been looking for solutions to this problem all season long. They signed Caris LeVert last summer with the hope that he could be a secondary ball-handler, then thought they struck gold with Daniss Jenkins as a backup point guard. Unfortunately, neither has been reliable leading the offense without Cunningham in the playoffs.
Detroit might need to get creativeÂ
Without any ideal backup ball-handlers, the Pistons may need to lean into unorthodox solutions. For example, they could pack their non-Cade lineups with defensive talent to force misses and turnovers leading to easier scoring chances. Another option is to have ball-handling and playmaking distributed across the entire lineup, including players who aren’t normally in backcourt roles.
Continuing to try the same approach against a talented Cavaliers team isn’t a logical approach. Even if Cleveland isn’t known for hounding defenders, they can still get stops against the Pistons without Cade on the court. Changing that outcome will need some coaching brilliance or somebody else stepping up in a major way for Detroit.
Regardless of their exact strategy, the Pistons need to prioritize a way to improve in their non-Cade minutes. Even if that span isn’t very long in a game, it can be a major swing factor in a close contest. Giving Cade more breathing room by sustaining success without him could also help him play better and not wear down over a long game or series.
Even at his worst, Cade Cunningham still makes a positive impact for his team. But he’ll need more help as the playoffs continue.
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