The Pistons are searching for answers beyond Cade Cunningham, and Kevin Huerter may have given them one in an unexpected place.
In Detroit’s win over Minnesota, Huerter finished with four assists in just 17 minutes, and three of them went to Jalen Duren. The pair looked comfortable together, showing off a two-man game that gave the offense a different kind of shape.
One possession early in the second quarter summed it up. Huerter came off a Duren screen, delivered the ball on the short roll, and when Rudy Gobert stepped up to challenge the mid-range look, Duren gave it back. Huerter kept the action alive, re-screened, drew the defense in, and then found Duren for the lob.
They also connected on a couple of more standard pick-and-roll possessions that ended with Duren finishing at the rim, where he looked like prime Shaq in his first game back.
It’s still preseason, but these are the kinds of reps Detroit needs. If this pairing keeps working, it could become a useful option when Cade Cunningham is on the bench.
Duren, meanwhile, made the case again that he should be the Pistons’ second scorer. He still has a lot of development ahead of him, but he remains one of the best efficient finishers on the roster, as he showed by scoring 24 points in a half on just nine shots last night.
The bigger point for Detroit is that scoring behind Cunningham does not have to come from one place. Huerter has enough shooting gravity, especially in the mid-range, to pull defenders toward him, and he’s got enough handle to punish hard closeouts and get to his spots. That makes him a logical partner for Duren in the pick-and-roll.
So far, the Pistons seem to know it. Huerter has been one of the first players off the bench in all three preseason games, a sign he’s likely to be part of the rotation.
And the offense itself has looked different, too. The ball has moved more freely, the players have moved more freely, and Detroit has looked far less stuck in preseason action. That kind of flow could open up more creation across the roster and lighten Cunningham’s load.
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