Cade Cunningham’s preseason absence has opened a door the Pistons probably didn’t expect to walk through.
With head coach J.B. Bickerstaff resting Cunningham for Detroit’s most recent game, a 114-108 loss to the Washington Wizards on Saturday, the Pistons suddenly had room to work. Instead of leaning on their star playmaker, they got a look at different lineups, new offensive wrinkles and a few supporting pieces trying to prove they belong in bigger moments.
Cunningham is the engine here. He sets the table, creates chances for teammates and keeps the offense moving at the right speed.
That much is clear. But when he’s out, the evaluation changes fast.
Other players have to handle more, and that gives Detroit a chance to learn who can actually take on real responsibility when the game asks for it.
Daniss Jenkins is one of the clearest beneficiaries. Against the Wizards, with Cunningham sitting, Jenkins got the start at point guard.
That kind of run matters. It lets him keep sharpening his decision-making, grow more comfortable running the show and show the staff he can be trusted for minutes when Cunningham isn’t on the floor.
Ebuka Okorie is in a similar spot. The rookie has already flashed some promise, most notably with the game-winning leftie layup in Detroit’s preseason opener against Phoenix. More minutes could help him turn those flashes into something more stable, something the Pistons can actually count on as an offensive option.
Bickerstaff also gets something valuable out of all this: a better read on depth. Preseason is built for exactly that. Detroit can try different combinations, identify other players who can handle the ball and see who can create offense when the main organizer is unavailable.
The Wizards game showed both sides of that equation. Without Cunningham and center Jalen Duren, the Pistons dug themselves into a 20-point first-quarter hole, then fought all the way back before falling short.
The comeback was a good sign. The rough opening quarter was a reminder that the margins are thin when key pieces are missing.
None of that changes Cunningham’s importance. Preseason reps without him are not a replacement for having him out there when the games count. But they can still serve a purpose if Detroit uses them well.
If Jenkins, Okorie and the rest of the reserves can turn these chances into real trust from the coaching staff, the Pistons could come out of the preseason with a deeper, more flexible rotation. That would give Bickerstaff more options and make the offense less easy to predict over the grind of the season.
Detroit still needs Cunningham to run the show. The value in his absence is finding out who can help when he doesn’t.
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Pistons Just Got An Early Warning About Life Without Cade
Cade Cunningham sat out Detroits second preseason game, and the result offered an early glimpse of how thin the margin can get when the offense has to function without its engine. The Pistons had trouble generating clean looks, the ball stuck at times, and the overall execution on that end never found much rhythm as the group struggled to score efficiently.
There were a couple of encouraging notes in the backcourt, though, with Daniss Jenkins and rookie Ebuka Okorie each showing some feel for organizing the offense. Even so, Detroits poor shooting and turnover issues underscored how much work remains if the team wants to survive Cunningham absences in the regular season and keep his workload manageable. [Read more 🡒]
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Even so, the roster picture does not feel finished. Detroit has been mentioned in speculation tied to a possible wing upgrade, and the teams front office has made it clear enough in recent years that it will keep looking for ways to speed up the rebuild. Whether that means standing pat with the group it has or finding another move to balance the rotation, the Pistons still have a few decisions to make before the roster feels fully set. [Read more 🡒]
Pistons Face A Tough Trade-Off In Reported RJ Barrett Interest
A reported Detroit-Toronto framework has put RJ Barrett on the Pistons radar, and on paper it is the kind of swing that says plenty about where the franchise thinks it is headed. Bleacher Reports Greg Swartz floated a speculative deal that would bring Barrett to Detroit, giving the Pistons an established scorer who could help accelerate the offense while adding more certainty to a roster still trying to sort out its long-term core.
The catch is the cost, and that is where the debate starts for Detroit. A move like this would ask the Pistons to weigh immediate production against the value of keeping a young developmental piece in the pipeline, while also committing meaningful assets to a player whose contract structure adds another layer to the decision. For a team trying to climb without losing its flexibility, it is the sort of trade-off that can define the next step in the rebuild. [Read more 🡒]