Cade Cunningham agrees with what many saw during the preseason — he wasn’t his usual self.
The Detroit Pistons dropped all four of their exhibition games, and while there were individual bright spots, they struggled to click as a team. They shot 39.4% from the floor, 30.2% from 3 and had nearly as many turnovers as assists. Cunningham’s numbers were also down from last season, as he averaged just 10.5 points and at times couldn’t buy a bucket. It was an uncharacteristic performance from a player who so often looked in control last season.
There’s no reason to overreact yet. He expects he’ll turn a corner when the Pistons tip off their regular season Wednesday against the Orlando Magic.
“I would almost call it passive,” he said Sunday of his preseason play. “I feel like I wasn’t aggressive enough in preseason. It’s a good time to feel out the game, like I said, and I definitely learned a lot from preseason and I’m ready to take the next step going into the season.”
The 2021 first overall pick is coming off of a strong rookie season. He added muscle this offseason and worked on improving his shooting touch and reducing turnovers. He’s earned the benefit of the doubt.
But expectations have raised accordingly, as Cunningham is Detroit’s unquestioned primary option. He should dominate touches this season. With Jerami Grant no longer on the roster, the offense should flow entirely through Cunningham. Like last year, teams will blitz him and make him uncomfortable when he has the ball. Regardless of expectations, he’ll have to grow comfortable in his enhanced role at his pace.
Growth isn’t always linear for young players. Detroit’s success or failure this season largely falls on his shoulders. Dwane Casey believes a big season could be in store for Cunningham, but is also aware of the likelihood that he still has growing pains to experience.
Cunningham will share a lot of minutes with Jaden Ivey, who’s a rocket with the ball in his hands and should take pressure off of Cunningham as a ball-handler. Alec Burks and Bojan Bogdanovic will give the Pistons floor spacing — something they have severely lacked. Jalen Duren and Nerlens Noel are athletic rim protectors who, like Marvin Bagley III last season, will also give Cunningham a lob threat.
An ankle injury caused Cunningham to miss most of training camp, preseason and five of Detroit’s first six games last season. This year, he’s had three weeks to feel out his new teammates, his role within the offense and how opposing defenses will account for him. It took him several weeks to find an offensive rhythm as a rookie, largely because of his delayed start.
“We have new pieces around me, new guys who are just now getting into the flow of it,” Cunningham said. “I definitely wanted to have the offense moving and just having the ball move and not just playing for me and me trying to be aggressive all the time. It’s a balance effect. Me being aggressive opens up a lot of things for the team as well, so I learned that from the preseason and I’m ready to keep moving forward.”
Cunningham was far from passive as a rookie, leading the Pistons in shots per game and proving himself to be one of the NBA’s best late-game performers. But he plays like a true point guard. He rarely forces things and willingly gives up the ball if that’s the play the defense allows. He’s also arguably the most skilled passer on the roster and understands that there’s a relationship between his aggression level and its ability to open things up for his teammates.
Casey trusts Cunningham’s decision-making, even if it means he’ll score fewer points some nights. Cunningham went No. 1 because of his all-encompassing approach to the game. He’s going to prioritize the right play. Last season, he understood that he’d have to call his own number many nights to give the Pistons the best chance to win.
“Last night (the Grizzlies) were quasi-blitzing him, OKC was quasi-blitzing him,” Casey said last Friday. “He made a great decision of getting off the ball, and I would say last year it would’ve flustered him. This year he continued to play. That’s the difference in a year of growth and a year of understanding what he’s supposed to be doing.
His sophomore season will reveal if a better balance can be found.
“We’re going to put him in positions where he makes decisions,” Casey said Sunday. “He made decisions to move the ball, which is fine. We need him to score, but what he does to impact winning doesn’t necessarily come on the scorecard. It may come with him passing, or maybe him defending. He doesn’t have to score 30 a night to help us win, and that’s what we’re definitely going to make clear.”