The Spurs have accomplished an incredible feat by advancing to the Finals as a young team led by 22-year-old Victor Wembanyama, but he couldn't have done it himself. Compared to the Pistons, the Spurs have a much deeper team full of players who can contribute on both ends of the court. It's a situation that Detroit's own young superstar Cade Cunningham can only imagine with envy and desire.
The Pistons need to follow the Spurs blueprint
Unfortunately, the Pistons didn't quite get the same lottery luck as the Spurs which helped contribute to San Antonio's current Finals run. In 2024, the Spurs drew the 4th pick and selected Stephon Castle. A year later, they would get the 2nd pick and take Dylan Harper. Both young guards have been essential in this year's playoffs both offensively and defensively.
Although the Pistons and Spurs had similar regular season success, Detroit was relying on maximizing the production of their defensive specialists. The Pistons scrounged for wins by dominating on defense and playing harder than their opponents. The Spurs also had a great defense and consistent effort, but their players can produce offensively too.
Even beyond their obvious star guards like Castle, Harper and De'Aaron Fox, the Spurs have other solid role players with two-way capabilities. They have role players who can come through in clutch moments, such as Julian Champagnie hitting 6 threes and scoring 20 points Game 7 against the Thunder. The Pistons could use more two-way players that hit their open shots (or even create for themselves) while also playing solid defense.
Cade Cunningham needs more help in the playoffs
Wembanyama's defensive impact can't be overstated and he makes his entire team better on that end. But offensively, he was often able to take a back seat thanks to his great teammates. Cade Cunningham couldn't afford to do the same in the playoffs, as his teammates often crumbled when he wasn't leading the offense.
Despite the lack of offensive help, Cade had an incredible playoff run scoring the ball. He had some historic scoring numbers on solid efficiency, especially hitting threes off the dribble, up until the Pistons' eventual blowout Game 7 loss. But he also had turnover problems exacerbated by Detroit's roster construction.
Without the advantage of playing off ball on some plays, Cade sometimes got careless or coughed the ball up against double teams. If the Pistons tried to put more offense around him, their lineups often had too many defensive liabilities. Clearly, they need to find more players without glaring weaknesses for the supporting cast. Maybe an improvement in their role players could help the Pistons find the same playoff success as the Spurs.
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