The Cade Cunningham Puzzle: When 'Isolation' Is No Longer the Only Answer for the Detroit Pistons

A few months ago, during the playoff series, I kept rewatching a single possession by Cade Cunningham. He caught the ball from the corner, no hesitation move, just one quick stop and a three-pointer. The ball went in. The play itself was unremarkable, but what caught my attention was how he moved to get that space — a pindown from the center, a cut across the lane, and a pass from Ausar Thompson. Not Cade holding the ball for eight seconds and creating. Not repetitive pick-and-rolls. This was the kind of basketball Detroit hasn't had in three years. Postseason numbers confirm this: Cunningham posted 1.41 points per possession in off-ball situations (spot-up and handoff), ranking in the 96.6th percentile league-wide. Meanwhile, his efficiency as a pick-and-roll ball handler was just 0.87 PPP, and isolation was only 0.76. The gap is too large to ignore. But the question is whether such a small sample (just 41 catch-and-shoot attempts and 18 shots after one or two dribbles) is enough to overhaul an entire offensive system. I've followed many teams during transitional phases — from basketball teams in America to football clubs in Vietnam — and I've learned that major tactical revolutions often begin with small details few people notice. For the Detroit Pistons, that detail is the arrival of four players who shot over 40% from three last season: Joe, Collins, Prince, and Harris. These four aren't superstars, but they solve the Pistons' most fundamental problem: spacing. For three years, Cunningham has always faced collapsing defenses. He holds the ball, two or three defenders converge, and the rest of Detroit couldn't punish them. The result is a talented player struggling with below-league-average efficiency in on-ball situations. Not because he's not good, but because the system around him doesn't give him room to breathe. Now, the coaching staff's plan is to shift some responsibility onto Ausar Thompson. The 23-year-old has shown clear progress, and having him become the secondary ball handler will allow Cunningham to play more off-ball. This is a model I've seen in Denver with Jokic and Murray — the biggest star doesn't always have to be the primary ball handler. Sometimes, letting someone else run the offense helps the main star conserve energy for crucial moments. But I always ask the opposite question: what happens if this plan fails? Opponents won't just watch Cade cut off screens. They'll switch the pindown, or go under screens to force him into contested mid-range jumpers. And if Thompson doesn't develop his shooting — if defenses simply ignore him to collapse on Cade — the entire system collapses. Even more concerning is Thompson's injury history. A recurring ankle sprain could derail the whole plan, and Detroit has no real backup option at the ball-handling position. I've seen many teams fail because they relied too heavily on a single plan. In the V.League, there are teams that build an entire season around a foreign striker, and when he gets injured, they completely collapse. The Detroit Pistons need to learn from that. The idea of Cade playing off-ball is completely logical, the data supports it, but this plan is only sustainable when more than one person can run the offense. The new season will be the biggest test for Cunningham. If he maintains that 1.41 PPP off-ball efficiency over a sustained period, Detroit could become a surprise team in the East. If not, they'll have to revert to the old style — which means they've wasted another season of development. I look at this roster and see a parallel to what I've written about underrated players: people call it a slide; I call it where I started standing firm. Cunningham isn't a slide. He's a talent waiting to be unleashed. And the biggest question isn't whether he can play off-ball, but whether the team around him has enough patience to build something sustainable, or whether they'll again rush to find a quick fix. Summer has no basketball rolling, but I can clearly hear the sound of unpaid debts — not monetary debts, but debts of development. Detroit has owed Cunningham three years without proper spacing. Now it's time for them to repay that debt with a smarter system, a more fitting roster, and a belief that patience will eventually be rewarded.