The Pistons didn’t come away from the summer with the kind of move that changes the whole equation for Cade Cunningham. That leaves Detroit in a familiar spot heading into next season: a talented roster, but one that still needs its best player to do the heavy lifting if the team is going to climb again.
That’s why the comparison to Luka Doncic matters here. Dallas eventually found Kyrie Irving to share the load, but before that, Doncic was the engine for a Mavericks team that reached the Western Conference finals with no true secondary star.
Jalen Brunson was part of that run, but at the time he was still functioning as a role player. Detroit is asking Cunningham to do something similar, only at a higher level.
For the Pistons to get to the Eastern Conference finals or beyond, Cunningham has to keep growing. Not just incrementally, either. He needs the kind of developmental leap that turns a great player into the center of everything his team does.
The idea is simple enough: Cunningham already brings elite scoring, playmaking and offensive initiation. What Detroit needs now is for him to become even more of a force, the kind of heliocentric star who makes everyone around him look better.
Doncic isn’t a plus defender, but his value has always been obvious on offense. He lifts the whole group.
Dereck Lively II, PJ Washington and Derrick Jones Jr. all played above their usual level with Doncic setting the table for them. That’s the standard Detroit is chasing with Cunningham.
The Pistons do have some useful pieces around him. Daniss Jenkins can help at times.
John Collins gives them a solid offensive option. Ausar Thompson is someone Detroit likely wants to see develop further as a creator.
But none of that changes the bigger picture. Without an Irving-type co-star to ease the burden, the Pistons are going to keep leaning on Cunningham. If Detroit is going to take another step, he has to be the one driving it.
In Other News...
Cade Cunningham Is Facing A Bigger Pistons Offseason Question
Detroits offseason has been quiet enough that the spotlight has drifted toward what the Pistons have not done as much as what they have. John Collins is the lone free-agent addition so far, and while that gives the roster a new piece, it also leaves open the larger question of how aggressively the front office is still trying to add talent around Cade Cunningham.
Cunningham has not been publicly tied to any recruiting push, even though stars around the league often help sell teammates on a destination. There are still names out there who could matter for Detroit, including LeBron James, Jonathan Kuminga and DeMar DeRozan, with the Pistons also said to have at least kicked the tires on DeRozan. Whether Cunningham has been working behind the scenes is unclear, but for a team trying to climb faster, his voice could end up being part of the offseason equation. [Read more 🡒]
Pistons May Have Finally Fixed The Offense Without Losing The Edge
The Pistons spent the offseason trying to solve a familiar problem without undoing what made them hard to play against. Detroit moved veterans Tobias Harris, Isaiah Stewart and Caris LeVert, then leaned into a roster built to space the floor better while still keeping the defensive tone intact with Paul Reed, Javonte Green, Ron Holland II and Ausar Thompson in place as the teams chaos creators.
That balance matters because the offense has often bogged down in the half court, where one reliable shooter was not enough to keep defenses honest. Now the Pistons can point to multiple players who hit better than 40 percent from three last season, a notable shift for a team that has spent years trying to add shooting without turning soft on the other end. The question is whether the new mix can finally make the offense functional while preserving the edge that has defined this group. [Read more 🡒]
Pistons Fans Finally Have A Reason To Revisit The Huerter Signing
Kevin Huerters arrival in Detroit looked like a straightforward shooting add when the Pistons handed him a $9 million-per-year deal, but the fit is a little more layered than that. He gives the roster another perimeter option, and even with the wing and guard spots crowded, there is a path for him to matter if the season turns the way Detroit expects it might.
For now, Huerters role appears limited, which is why the signing can feel easy to overlook in the moment. Still, JB Bickerstaff has shown he is willing to use deep rotations, and Huerters ability to cover multiple spots gives the Pistons some needed insurance if the lineup gets hit by injuries or the back end of the roster starts to shift. [Read more 🡒]