The Pistons can finally put young players in limited roles that play to their strengths and allow them to improve slowly
It was not that long ago that January as a die-hard Detroit Pistons fan meant a nightly pep-talk to come up with reasons to tune in to games in what was already inevitably a meaningless season.
In the years following Blake Griffin’s brief stint in the Motor City, this time of year is when fans see piling losses and start to take solace by obsessing over mock drafts more than the Central Division standings.
Of course, this is a new year. The Pistons have undoubtedly exceeded even their own expectations for what was possible this season and will more than likely participate in the postseason for the first time this decade.
There is a real debate as to whether or not the team should be buyers or sellers at the NBA Trade Deadline deadline, and the organization and its marquee player are finally receiving national buzz for reasons other than a historic losing streak.
The importance of Cade Cunningham’s growth as a player and leader is hard to put into words. Simply put, there is no longer any form of debate that Cade is a top-25 player and someone worthy of building around. This is mainly responsible for putting the Pistons on the map as a real NBA team for the first time in ages. It has reinvigorated a dedicated fan base that has been starved for a product worth following.
His gravity has helped veteran acquisitions Malik Beasley and Tim Hardaway Jr. enjoy resurgent seasons (yes, their spacing has helped Cade too). Hardaway is near his career-high in true shooting percentage (.584 this season, .598 in 2020 with Dallas). Beasley is set to smash his career-high three-point makes in a season. He’s at 162 makes, third in the NBA, and just 78 shy of his best season.
What has been less discussed is how Cade’s ascent has impacted a couple of Detroit’s most recent first-round picks, Ausar Thompson and Ron Holland.
Again, think back to years past. January was all about talking yourself into why Detroit’s latest rookie was actually better than his numbers and could impact winning in the future. This meant that every shot taken by Cunningham, or Jaden Ivey was highly scrutinized, and every box score felt monumental as we squinted to see if a glimmer of a future star existed within the rubble. With the roster in those days being as poor as it was, players like Cade, Ivey, and even Jalen Duren were forced into featured roles as teenagers, magnifying the urgency of their development.
Fast forward to today, and we are now watching a competent team that is able to spoon-feed minutes and usage to two of their youngest players, Holland and Thompson. Each player receives limited minutes, touches, and shots, and each has largely been tasked with fitting into a specific (and limited) role. Knowing that they already have the guy worth building around in Cunningham and a competent foundation around him courtesy of a difference-making coach and reliable, engaged veterans takes the pressure off of the young wings to come in and score 20 points per game.
We don’t need to see a star in Thompson and Holland, we only need to see two young players developing in their roles. They still might be star players, but it doesn’t have to happen this season, and it doesn’t have to happen next season either.
While Holland and Thompson are different players, they have overlapping strengths as athletic, defensive-minded players who both do their best work in transition and possess underrated playmaking abilities. Cade’s stardom allows each player to play to these strengths now while working tirelessly with shooting coach Fred Vinson in the background to improve their greatest mutual deficiency: shooting. Without a sure building block in Cade in the fold, this would not be possible. It would be more likely that each would be thrust into a savior type of role that each is not ready for, one with many on-ball possessions, greater responsibility, and, thus, low-percentage shots.
Look, maybe in time, Thompson will develop into a Kawhi Leonard clone, and Holland will one day fulfill the Jaylen Brown comparisons that he received as a prospect. It’s also possible, (though unlikely), that each flame out into the oblivion of irrelevance. And while the likelihood for each is somewhere in between, fans can, for the first time in many years, enjoy watching their incremental growth on a nightly basis. It also means players can build on strengths, improve on weaknesses, and not play through the bad habits that build on each other and could metastasize into issues that stunt their ceilings long term.
This is not too dissimilar from how Leonard and Brown were brought along slowly early in their careers. Like the Spurs and Celtics , these Pistons (on a lesser scale) are at a level of success and surrounding talent that the organization is not dependent on either becoming a star overnight. That is the benefit of having a bonafide superstar like Cade, yeah, I said it, and a competent organization allowing young players to grow into a role.
So, while Cade’s breakout season is exciting for many reasons, don’t overlook the impact it may have on the long-term development of this team. His shine allows for a shadow where the talented but raw Thompson and Holland can remain while refining their games. The Pistons can let them figure out how to be productive NBA players and, maybe a few years down the line, a star. This gives each player the best chance of reaching his ceiling. And for that, they largely have their star teammate to thank.