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Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Pistons Could Pivot to 2 Players After Naz Reid's Offseason Decision
Pistons Could Pivot to 2 Players After Naz Reid's Offseason Decision originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Detroit Pistons took the NBA by storm last season. They went from a bottom-table team to a playoff squad in just one offseason. Advertisement Cade Cunningham's ascension into stardom, making his first All-Star team in his young career, certainly led the way, but there was a culture change in Detroit. The Pistons are building an identity, which head coach JB Bickerstaff has helped create. Now, the organization's focus will shift. It's not purely development, though that aspect won't go away. Identifying core players and making moves to add the proper complementary players is much-needed as the Pistons aim to continue to get better and prepare to climb towards title contention. The offseason is here, too. With the NBA Draft having come and gone, the next step of the summer is free agency, which begins in just a couple of days. Advertisement One early target for the Pistons was going to be Naz Reid, a Minnesota Timberwolves big man. On Friday, Reid signed a long-term contract extension with his team, pulling him off the board. Jan 4, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons forward Ausar Thompson (9) dribbles on Minnesota Timberwolves center Naz Reid (11) in the first half at Little Caesars Arena.© Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images The Pistons will have to pivot their offseason priorities now, and there are two names that stick out early, according to Jake Fischer. Detroit could look into acquiring Nickeil Alexander-Walker or Santi Aldama. After the Timberwolves paid Reid, they'll struggle financially to retain all of their free agents. If they let Alexander-Walker go, the Pistons will have the salary cap room to land the young wing. Aldama is a great shooter from the Memphis Grizzlies and would provide great floor spacing for Cunningham and the Pistons. Advertisement With the Grizzlies being aggressive early in the offseason, they could aim to find more complementary pieces to Jaren Jackson Jr. and Ja Morant, making it less likely they'll pay Aldama. Again, finances could be the reason Detroit has a chance at the two role players, and they certainly have the salary cap room to make the moves to land additional talent. The Pistons were the No. 6 seed last season and played a competitive first round against a talented New York Knicks team. In a now wide-open Eastern Conference, the Pistons are right to build around what worked last year and improve as a team, even if they have to spend some of the cash on hand. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 28, 2025, where it first appeared.
New York Times
24-06-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Ausar Thompson's strengths and weaknesses: Detroit Pistons player evaluations
Because complications from blood clots ended his rookie campaign and limited his offseason after his rookie year, not only is Ausar Thompson embarking on his first real NBA offseason this summer, but he's doing so with playoff experience. Thompson's recovery process delayed the start of his 2024-25 season, forcing him to miss the Detroit Pistons' first 18 games. Advertisement The 22-year-old made his season debut on Nov. 25, 2024, in a Pistons win over the Toronto Raptors. Detroit coach J.B. Bickerstaff gradually increased Thompson's minutes as the season progressed, but he didn't play his first game with at least 30 minutes until March 3. The Pistons went 34-25 in games Thompson played last season and 10-13 in games with him sidelined. While his impact with Detroit is certainly felt in the win-loss column, his box score numbers don't always do his play justice. That said, given the athletic gifts and feel for the game he possesses, Thompson could have the potential to be the most dynamic two-way player on the team. That's why we're here to delve into Thompson's strengths and areas of improvement from his second season. Thompson does the majority of his offensive damage from the dunker spot, which is considered the low block, just outside of the paint and usually on the opposite side of the court where the ball handler is. His instincts in that area are second to none on this Pistons roster. Of Thompson's 460 field-goal attempts from last season, 325 came five feet from the rim. His jumper is an area of well-known improvement, which we'll get to later on, but that deficiency hasn't hindered his ability to be effective in the paint. He usually takes advantage of his defender, who may briefly pay more attention to the man with the ball than to Thompson. Once Thompson notices his defender's attention is away from him, he has a knack for slipping behind back-line defenders to find holes in the defense. Thompson has carved out such a consistent role from the dunker spot that his teammates seek him out there. Thompson's proficiency from the dunker spot goes hand in hand with his instinctive cutting that leads him to gaps in the defense. What separates Thompson from others who find success from the dunker spot is his elite athleticism. His creativity from the dunker has few limits, given how athletically gifted he is. Advertisement He caught lobs out of the dunker spot, made connective passes to teammates and his comfort operating from the dunker only grew as the season went on. If Thompson can refine his jump shot this summer and couple that with his dunker spot prowess, Detroit inevitably becomes drastically more dynamic on offense. Thompson does so many things well on the defensive end of the floor that we'll spend a decent amount of words and time here. First, let's start with Thompson's perimeter defense. At 6-foot-7 with a 7-foot wingspan, Thompson has the length to essentially guard all positions. But he weighs 215 pounds, so it's not optimal to have him guarding the bruiser bigs of the NBA like Zach Edey's and Jusuf Nurkic's of the world. Thompson's instincts on the defensive end seem akin to his instincts in the dunker spot in that he has a knack for being in the right place at the right time to make plays. At times last season, he could be seen switching onto nearly every player on the opposing team during a possession to secure a stop. His help-side defense is elite for his age and experience as well. While he's generally careful enough to avoid being taken advantage of the way he does defenders, Thompson keeps his eye on his man and the man with the ball. In doing so at a high level, he's able to use his athleticism to get over from the help side to block shots and create steals. Apart from the chase-down blocks and playing passing lanes with his wingspan, Thompson has also shown signs of being a defensive menace at the point of attack and makes himself difficult to be screened. One drawback that can plague Thompson on the defensive end is foul trouble. His versatility breeds confidence, and the confidence can sometimes lead to Thompson trying to read plays before they happen and causing his minutes to be limited. Advertisement Considering Thompson was good for a career-best 10.1 points per game last season, roughly 25 percent of his scoring came off turnovers. The pressure he creates defensively directly leads to points for himself and other Detroit players on a nightly basis. While Thompson has found ways to capitalize in a half-court setting, although not yet consistently, his athleticism is most evident when he can use his tools in transition. Not all of his points off turnovers come on fast breaks, though Thompson averaged 2.0 in transition. Until his jump shot develops and is reliable enough to keep defenders honest when guarding him on the perimeter, Thompson should seek to create as much offense from defense as he can. Even if it doesn't lead to points for himself, Thompson made momentum-swinging blocks and turnovers multiple times through the regular season and postseason. Thompson's offensive potential is directly tied to his ability to become a reliable shooter. He doesn't ever have to be in the 50/40/90 shooting split realm, but even connecting on 30 to 35 percent of his triples would significantly improve Detroit's spacing. He's a 19.8 percent shooter from behind the arc through his first two seasons, and at times it seems clear he doesn't feel comfortable taking 3s. Thompson worked with shooting coach Fred Vinson and fellow young wing, Ron Holland II, daily to improve his jumper last season. But reps in the practice facility don't always breed confidence in live game action. For Thompson to build the confidence to take more triples without hesitation, he needs to start firing away during real games. To Thompson's credit, this will be his first official offseason to spend time breaking his jumper down to rebuild it, if he so chooses. Whether he decides to rebuild his jumper or keep working with the form he has now, these reps during the summer will be valuable for him. Thompson did show flashes of playmaking last season. Especially once Jaden Ivey was sidelined with his fibula fracture, Thompson would occasionally initiate offense to free up Cade Cunningham to run off-ball actions. Advertisement During his lone regular season with Overtime Elite, Thompson averaged 6.1 assists, more than his twin brother, Amen. There were times last season when Thompson would seem comfortable initiating offense and directing traffic. Other times, Thompson's handle isn't as tight as it needs to be against elite perimeter defense. Thompson has even more challenges when trying to dribble through traffic. Thompson would bring the ball up the floor for the Pistons occasionally, but he didn't create for himself off the dribble much in half-court settings. He thrived in transition, but the next step for Thompson in the ball-handling department is becoming more consistent in tight spaces to free himself up for better shot attempts.
New York Times
16-06-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Cade Cunningham's strengths and weaknesses: Detroit Pistons player evaluations
Cade Cunningham is roughly a month and a half removed from his best professional season. He posted career-high numbers across the board in 2024-25, was an All-Star, made an All-NBA team and had 10 total triple-doubles, including the postseason. Behind the accolades Cunningham racked up last season was the growth of his game in a multitude of ways. Let's examine what led to this level of production. And, in the name of offseason improvement, let's identify areas of Cunningham's game he can ameliorate. Advertisement • 50-of-84 (59.5 percent) on hook shots • 36-of-73 (49.3 percent) on fadeaway jumpers inside the 3-point line • 17-of-33 (51.5 percent) on non-layup bank shots • 16-of-27 (59.3 percent) on turnaround fadeaways I've written many times about Cunningham's effectiveness in the post and midrange, and these regular-season numbers drive home that point. He's listed at 6-foot-6 with a 7-foot-1 wingspan and takes advantage of size disparities he faces against other guards who are matched up against him. Cade Cunningham jump hook — Brett Usher (@UsherNBA) April 12, 2025 By now, Cunningham and Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff are aware of the advantages when Cunningham operates out of the post. He often forces double-teams, which inevitably frees his teammates up for opportunities to create for themselves and others. When defenses don't converge, Cunningham, as shown above, has a knack for finding ways to score, whether it's hook shots, fadeaways or turnarounds. The more Detroit explores actions with Cunningham as the focal point from the post, the better. Look for Bickerstaff to build on this growing area of effectiveness and comfort for their franchise cornerstone. • 39.2 percent on 2.1 attempts per game Cunningham had his best season shooting from long range on his highest volume. While 35.6 percent overall is respectable for a lead guard, he was even better in catch-and-shoot situations from behind the arc. Catch-and-shoot 3s are more difficult for Cunningham to get a healthy diet of because of his role on this squad. He's usually initiating offense for Detroit, looking to find others in a position to score. Depending on how Jaden Ivey progresses as a playmaker, the Pistons could look to increase the volume of catch-and-shoot looks for Cunningham to see how much more his 3-point shooting can improve. Advertisement • Fifth in blocks per game for guards (0.8) Cunningham has averaged 0.6 blocks per game during his career, so blocking shots isn't a new strength for him. But 53 is his highest total in any season thus far. Cunningham also had a handful of timely, momentum-swinging blocks this season. Cade Cunningham had the game-winning bucket AND the game-winning block in a Pistons win over the Hawks😤 🎥 @SportsCenter — The Athletic NBA (@TheAthleticNBA) November 9, 2024 While he may not become an All-Defensive team-level defender, he's becoming a formidable player on that side of the ball, particularly getting chase-down blocks or blocks from the weak side. Cunningham has the physical tools to be a successful defender beyond blocking shots, which we'll get to briefly. Of Cunningham's career-best 9.1 assists per game last season, 2.0 came by way of his big man, Jalen Duren. As a result, Cunningham dished a total of 129 assists to Duren. And as flashy as the lobs between the two can be, they seem to generate real jolts of energy for Detroit. Apart from the lobs, Cunningham and Duren have developed chemistry in pick-and-roll situations in general. Duren even began setting what have become known as 'Gortat screens' (in honor of Marcin Gortat) for Cunningham in the lane as the season progressed. The duo can, and likely will, continue exploring the limits of Duren's scoring capability, especially in these actions, moving forward. Duren took 546 field-goal attempts last regular season, with 478 coming less than five feet from the rim. Although it's a small sample size relative to his attempts within five feet, Duren was an efficient 32-of-65 between five and nine feet from the rim. Maybe next season, the Pistons can add a more consistent wrinkle in their offense for Cunningham to seek Duren out just a bit further from the rim to keep defenders honest. Advertisement • Second in the NBA in turnovers (4.4 average per game) behind only Trae Young It's no secret Cunningham must cut down on his turnovers. Although turnovers are inevitable, to a certain extent, because he's a lead guard, Cunningham turned the ball over too much last season. A decent portion of Cunningham's turnovers came as a result of his carelessness rather than defensive pressure. Still, he had a little more than a 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. His assists can become even more valuable next season if they aren't being compromised by turnovers and the potential points they can lead to for opposing teams. The more Cunningham continues to tighten his handle and limit his turnovers, the easier life becomes for himself as a scorer and his teammates as he looks to create for them. • Defensive rating: 112.2 While Cunningham's defensive rating was the lowest it's been in his career, he has the physical tools to be a better, more consistent on-ball defender. He's showcased his ability to meet taller opposing players at the summit for blocks. Now, it's time for him to take that next step as a perimeter defender. Cunningham has showcased stretches of playing inspired on-ball defense, but he's yet to do so consistently. His footspeed and lateral quickness don't stand out in a league full of elite athletes, but with his size and athleticism, there's no reason he can't become a better defender overall. From being a better point-of-attack defender to fighting over screens, there's room for Cunningham to improve as an overall defender.
