There is an undeniable high of excitement for the Detroit Pistons’ future thanks to the arrival of superstar-in-the-making Cade Cunningham. He rose to the pressure of being a No. 1 overall pick earning All-Rookie First Team honors.
Coming into the 2021 NBA Draft, former ESPN Draft Scout Mike Schmitz called the 6’7 point guard the most complete player he had ever evaluated. The new face of the franchise did not sell fans short as his leadership, talent, and unique skillset were on high display during his rookie season.
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It was extremely encouraging to see how polished Cunningham’s game was at just 20 years old. After averaging 17.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game last season, expectations are through the roof for Cunningham to be even better in his second year. His play even received glowing recognition around the league from NBA stars like Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, Demar Derozan, and others.
While he has shown few weaknesses in his game thus far, no player in the NBA is perfect. Cunningham has shown All-Star potential already, and he could reach that level as soon as next season with a few improvements.
Cade Cunningham needs to become more efficient from beyond the arc in year two.
This should be the most obvious point of emphasis after averaging 31.4% from 3 in 2021-22. Cunningham’s perimeter jump-shooting, unfortunately, propelled the phantom narrative of an overall “slow start” to his NBA career.
The numbers indicate he played better than the criticism suggested averaging roughly 15 points per game, 6.5 rebounds, and 4.7 assists in his first month of action. The narrative took a life of its own with little specific mention of the struggles, which ultimately impacted the Rookie of the Year candidacy of the Piston’s guard.
Cunningham’s debut began with nursing an ankle injury but also some coached adjustments to his 3-point jump shot. Senior Advisor of Player Development John Beilein spent a brief part of the offseason working on elevating Cunningham’s jumper to create separation from defenders. His mechanics weren’t poor, but the suggested improvements proved to be necessary for his early development.
Cade Cunningham’s jumper.. watched clips and came away with two takeaways of what the Pistons could possibly be focused on pic.twitter.com/FjBlmi5vjd
— ᗩᑎT ᗯᖇIGᕼT (@itsAntWright) October 5, 2021
Cunningham was a standout 3-point shooter at Oklahoma State, averaging 40% from behind the arc. He also put on stretches where his distance shooting showed the potential of becoming a strength. As Detroit’s roster improves, that should equal more open looks for Cunningham. His versatility in creating his own jumper and being a spot-up shooter should keep defenders modest when defending him in the future.
Cade Cunningham needs to stay out of foul trouble in year two.
The 2021 NBA Draft Class featured several quality defensive prospects. Cunningham deserves plenty of recognition in that discussion shining as an on-ball and off-ball defender. Paint protection was also a strong suit for the 6’7 point guard. Averaging just under six rebounds per game plus plenty of highlight blocks served as an asset for the Pistons, who dealt with an undersized frontcourt much of the year.
One of my favorite defensive plays from Cade Cunningham. this block won us the game. #Pistons pic.twitter.com/9r1OLTe471
— nick (@nsitto2) June 12, 2022
One issue Cunningham needs to continue working on is staying out of foul trouble. He only fouled out twice this past season but spent lots of time on the sideline due to being too aggressive on defense. A good portion of the fouls came early in the basketball game, where Cunningham was forced to exit first halves early.
He, as well as the Pistons, would lose offensive rhythm. Since establishing himself as the floor general for Detroit, they need him on the court as much as possible.
Given Cunningham’s elevated responsibility, it would not surprise me if head coach Dwane Casey used different defenders on the opponents’ best offensive players. Forward Saddiq Bey and guard Killian Hayes showed promising defensive glimpses of guarding primary scorers.
Even center Isaiah Stewart made opponents look foolish when they would hunt him for defensive switches, and he was nimble enough to help limit them from scoring. The Pistons should be in the market to add adequate defenders this offseason to take that needed pressure away from their young captain.
Cade Cunningham needs to post more often in year two.
This list could be five total necessities of improvement for Cunningham. However, this specific development, I believe, can kill two birds with one stone.
Cunningham already possesses a veteran-like physique, but he also presented impressive footwork in the post and the ability to finish with both hands. Most young players rely on athleticism and jump shots in their early years.
Cunningham is savvy enough to use his size and patience to be a menace on the block. His post-game was an under-utilized part of his game as a rookie, and I believe it could resolve two major issues immediately.
The first issue that posting up will solve is the high turnover rate. The Piston’s lead guard finished 8th in turnovers, averaging 3.7 per game. Lots of Cunningham’s turnovers came from him isolating among the perimeter and getting ripped by defenders.
He confirmed his versatility as an off-ball player by creating havoc posting on smaller guards, and even veteran forwards his size. Reducing his perimeter dribbling by posting him up will easily take his turnover average down by creating easier shots at the rim and in the mid-range.
The second issue was one of the most aggravating parts of watching the Pistons this past season. Cunningham got a cruel Detroit Vs. Everybody welcome to the league with the referees refusing to give him fair foul calls.
He inexplicably ranked 76th in the league with 2.63 free throws averaged per game. Even with his physical style of play at the rim, officials refused to give him proper whistles regardless of the obvious contact he absorbed. Ironically, the refs were quick on the whistle calling fouls on Cunningham, including one of the most absurd ejections in NBA history for pointing at a player after a dunk.
— Ashton (@AshtonDaTrainer) March 26, 2022
Playing in the post maximizes that physical play style of Cunningham. It also puts the contact on full display, where referees will have a hard time ignoring that contact. Posting up will also cause opponents to double team him defensively, where he can take advantage of skip passes to open teammates for easy shots.
Opposing teams will be exhausted on weak legs trying to guard Cunningham late in the 4th quarter during crunch time. Orchestrating from the block or high post should create plenty of mismatches and make Cunningham a consistent 20-plus-point scorer in no time.
