Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham in action Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

Cade Cunningham's big night is proof of concept for Pistons

By Adam Taylor | Last updated 10/12/24

The Detroit Pistons spent the summer adding veteran talent to the roster. Tobias Harris, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Malik Beasley headlined the new additions in the Motor City. The front office made a concerted effort to add increased floor spacing to the rotation, especially after the Pistons finished last season with a bottom-three offense.

By bringing in more sharpshooters to the rotation, Detroit was providing Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey with additional space to control the tempo of games. On Friday, Cunningham took full advantage of the extra room with which he had to work, registering 25 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists on 62.5% shooting (10-of-16) from the field against the Phoenix Suns.

Cade Cunningham looking VERY sharp ahead of the regular season... a near triple-double in the @DetroitPistons' #NBAPreseason win!

25 PTS | 12 REB | 9 AST | 10-16 FGM pic.twitter.com/VNUFEGIjOa
— NBA (@NBA) October 12, 2024

Last season, Detroit's offense consistently stagnated in the half-court, with multiple players clogging the lane. As such, the franchise has struggled to get the best out of Cunningham and Ivey.

While Cunningham ranked fifth in the NBA for drives per game last season, he shot the worst out of that group, hitting just 46.8% of his attempts. A primary reason for his struggles was not having easy lanes to the hoop.

Ivey and Cunningham looked vastly improved against the Suns. J.B. Bickerstaff will undoubtedly be excited by the backcourt production against one of the best teams in the Western Conference.

Of course, preseason is only the first hurdle for the new-look Pistons to clear. Yet, the early signs are encouraging. Detroit entered this summer with a game plan and quickly executed it. Now, they have all the pieces to begin climbing their way out of Eastern Conference obscurity, and they can head into the new season with a legitimate proof of concept. It's going to be an interesting year in the Motor City.

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