Few players have the ball in their hands more than Cade Cunningham, and that's unlikely to change anytime soon. As the All-NBA guard has ascended up the NBA ranks, so have the Detroit Pistons.
But both Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson, after signing new contracts with the franchise this offseason, are both primed for larger roles this season. That means Cunningham's role on the floor will likely be diversified, even if his overall usage numbers are similar.
The goal is for Duren and Thompson to take some of the load off of him.
"Obviously we understand his impact on the game," coach J.B. Bickerstaff said after practice in Midtown on Thursday, Oct. 8. "We understand a huge reason of why we were who we are is because the ball was in his hands a lot
and he had the opportunity to be great and make those plays.
"There’s times in games, depending on teams, how they’re defending us and how they’re defending him, that we can do more with him off the ball and allow him to hide a little bit more and then come to the action and still get the same amount of touches and usage for him. And I think it's important that we diversify that for him."
We saw a glimpse of a diversified Pistons offense Monday during their 109-107 preseason-opening win over the Phoenix Suns. Thompson and Cunningham shared ball-handling responsibilities in the first half, and Cunningham stood in the corner at times while Thompson operated ball screens.
It was a strong two-way performance from Thompson, who looked confident handling the ball, locating teammates and finding soft spots in the defense to knock down midrange jumpers.
Taking Cunningham off the ball sporadically could be beneficial. It would allow him easier shot attempts off catch-and-shoots and cuts, and save him from some physical punishment that comes with being double-teamed and having to fight through screens.
"Just relieves pressure," Bickerstaff said of putting the ball in Thompson's hands. "Teams have the idea that they just want to wear Cade down. They want to pick him up, they want to double-team him, they want to be physical with him. It makes a huge difference when sometimes you just need to jog to a corner without having to worry about the double-team or pick up full court or wrestling.
"It just can allow him to be fresher and then, again, it’s a different look when all 10 eyes are staring at you as opposed to when you get a chance to go high and then come back and play, it gives you advantages earlier coming off of screens and those types of things, also."
Duren, too, could become more of an offensive hub. After a breakout season averaging 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game on 65% shooting, Bickerstaff envisions Duren only becoming more capable with the ball in his hands. We've seen flashes of the 22-year-old being able to dish to shooters or find teammates underneath out of the high post.
He showed growth as a playmaker during his second and third seasons, and was in the 73rd percentile among bigs with an assist percentage of 14.1% during the 2024-25 season, according to Cleaning The Glass. His passing regressed slightly last season as he became a go-to scoring weapon and his overall offensive game took a step forward, settling in as one of the game's most efficient scorers.
The Pistons have established Cunningham, Thompson and Duren as their three core players. Through the next three preseason games, they will explore what that looks like on the floor and the extent they can use Thompson and Duren to make Cunningham's life a little easier.
"He’s shown the ability to pass, the ability to attack in a face-up game," Bickerstaff said of Duren. "He’s 22 years old. Most of the guys in the league don’t reach their prime until they’re 26. There’s no cap to his ceiling, he has pretty of room for growth."I think that’s where the next step is for him. That’s some of the things that we’ve implemented over the years is understanding just how good of a passer he is and then what it looks like when you put the ball in his hands at the elbows and now you’ve got shooting all around him and cutters all around him. He’s really good at facilitating those actions and creating for other people."
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Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him on X and/or Bluesky.
Next up: Wizards
Matchup: Pistons (1-0) at Washington (1-0); exhibition.
Tipoff: 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10; Capital One Arena, Washington.
TV/radio: TV 20 Detroit; WWJ-AM (950).
Streaming: DaZN Detroit.
Regular-season opener: vs. Celtics; 3 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20; NBC.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Pistons seeking strategy to save Cade Cunningham from wearing down
