The inclusion of young Pistons guards Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren on USA Basketball’s Select Team ahead of the August FIBA World Cup is a positive sign for Detroit, writes Keith Langlois of Pistons.com.
As Langlois explains, even being named to the group against which Team USA will scrimmage should be seen as a big honor, and being able to rub shoulders with some of the elite young players in the game should help clue the two young Pistons into just what it takes to thrive as a pro.
According to Langlois, Cunningham, the No. 1 pick in the 2021 draft, actually received an invitation to join Team USA’s World Cup roster, but opted for a “more measured approach” as he continues to rehabilitate his surgically repaired shin.
There’s more out of the Central Division:
- New Pistons head coach Monty Williams will have numerous options as he susses out Detroit’s rotation, writes Langlois in a separate piece. Langlois notes that, while the starting roles of Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, and power forward Bojan Bogdanovic are secure, it will be up to Williams to configure the rest of the club’s rotation.
- Pacers All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton and newly acquired power forward Obi Toppin gave fans a tantalizing look at their on-court fit during Kyle Guy‘s Dizzy Runs Pro Am in Noblesville, Indiana, per The Indianapolis Star (subscriber-only link). Toppin discussed his offseason program. “It’s been mostly making shots and working on some of the actions that are different than New York’s,” Toppin said. “It’s just learning the new lingo and the offense that they run. I’ve been working with Ty with that and he’s been teaching me a little bit.”
- The Cavaliers’ priority is holding onto All-Star shooting guard Donovan Mitchell long-term with a team that he enjoys, not trading him, writes Sean Deveney of Heavy.com. Mitchell has a player option for 2025/26, meaning he could reach free agency in just two seasons. “They’re doing their best to reconfigure things around him and just keep rolling out the red carpet, making sure he knows he is taking care of, all of that,” a source told Deveney. “No one is hitting the eject button on this… Make him happy, make him comfortable, that is the job.”
Bro says susses unironically
There are some serious horrors coming to the 313 if Cade and Duren are going to make up their starting backcourt.
Thinking the same thing, but isn’t position-less basketball the “in” thing?
Maybe Duren will rotate from the pivot to the point when Cunningham or Ivey need a blow, his 1.1/1.4 turnover to assist ratio and 0-2 from deep last season is exactly what one looks for in a “young guard”.
Yeah, I have no clue exactly when Duren even became part of Detroit’s backcourt!?
Apparently, Monty is already toying with some new-look lineups and rotations..lol
All jokes aside, I’d expect Monty’s rotations to look something like…
Cade, Ivey, Bogdan, Stewart, Duren
Morris, Burks/Harris, A.Thompson, Bagley III, Wiseman
I think those 11 guys are most likely to get the bulk of the minutes, and then they’ll have Hayes, Livers, and Sasser likely cleaning up any extra garbage time that’s available…
I think the Pistons can definitely outperform alot of “experts” and analysts expectations, but their success is really going to come down to the growth and consistency of their young core. If Cunningham, Ivey, Thompson, Duren, Stewart, and Wiseman can collectively grow together, and if they can learn to play alongside one another effectively Detroit could be a surprise play-in team.
They’ll certainly need some consistent production from their key veterans like Bogdan, Harris, Burks, Morris, and at times Bagley as well. Bogdan will have to carry the most weight, and Morris will likely be tasked to lead their 2nd Unit, but the other guys will mainly just be counted on to just be efficient and reliable scoring options when they’re numbers are called, and with Harris and Burks being professional shooters, I don’t really see that as being an issue…
Like alot of teams this season, it is going to be fun to watch the Pistons take shape, and see how they’re ultimately able to mesh together on the court.
Thompson is definitely an intriguing addition to their young core, and it’ll be interesting to see how Monty incorporates him into their rotation with his skillset.
What do you guys think of the Pistons this season and moving forward??
Since Luka all those potential superstars top draft picks suck …
CLE would do well to focus on developing Mobley as a 1st/ 2nd offensive option, vs rolling out the red carpet to keep DM happy. DM will be happy if the team is competing for titles; he won’t be if they’re not. They won’t be if they continue playing as they did down the stretch of last season into the playoffs.
The 2 are not mutually exclusive. It’s obvious that Evan Mobley must get better for the Cavaliers to have a real shot at winning a title. That said involving Mitchell in the team’s decision making process will make him feel invested in the team’s progress. The biggest factor in the team’s long-term success is finding another big man or two so that less talented teams like the Knicks can’t swarm the front court and wear them out. That is why they need to sign Isaiah Mobley to a regular deal and see what he’s capable of. The pace of Emoni Bates development will also affect this.The guy can run like the wind and is an accurate shooter. He needs to gain some muscle so he won’t get pushed around on defense. His decision making also needs to improve so he doesn’t shoot his own team out of games. He will also need to hone his passing skills. He’s the 5th potential All Star when he’s ready. Until then Isaiah Mobley’s development is almost as important as his little brother Evan’s. Without a backup for Evan and Jarrett that can maintain their intensity the Cav’s will be out rebounded by stronger teams. Another long-term project is Pete Nance but expecting him to do anything outside the G-League this year is insane. That said when Isaiah Mobley’s deal is upgraded Nance has a good shot at Mobley’s 2-way spot.
Garland has not reached his full potential either
Garland can’t reach his potential for this team as it is constructed. He is a more efficient scorer than Mitchell who is the first option as long as he is in town. Also for Cleveland to take the next step forward they need to turn Mobley into at least a 2nd option. Meaning a 20 point scorer or better. If we were to deal Mitchell to the Knicks for say Hart, Barrett and 3 1st rounders Then Garland could be a 1st option. But he can’t be a 1st or 2nd option as long as we have Mitchell. Having your 1st 2 options be guards creates a balance problem other teams can take advantage of. Having both be 6’1″ means that if either has a bad shooting night you are vulnerable. As a 3rd option Garland can be lethal while focusing on running the offense. That’s part of being a team player. Doing what is best for the team even if it hurts your personal statistics.
The Cavs seem like a team that’s packed with potential, but last season their offense looked a little too forced at times. Instead of the ball flowing around, it almost seemed like they tried taking turns and forcing guys looks just to get them opportunities.
That’s why I think it’ll help having Strus and Niang in their rotation. They’ll help move the ball around and keep the ball moving offensively, but, also, if they’re open, then they are easy threats to hit from deep.
In other words, they aren’t the type of players that have to get plays drawn up for them in order for them to be successful and get going offensively. They’ll be able to get their own points naturally through the flow of the offense, and those are the type of guys that Cleveland lacked last season..
I firmly believe Cleveland should take another step forward this season, and their ceiling could have them right alongside the Bucks, Miami, the Celtics, and the 76ers as one of the top teams in the East.
On paper, one could even make the argument that the Cavs might have even passed one or more of those teams..
The Cavaliers already are in the Eastern Conference’s top tier. They were 51-31 which was the NBA’s 5th best record overall. Miami the team that won the conference was 7 games back and was swept by the Cav’s in a 2 game series in Miami the lat 2 weeks. They beat Boston 3 out of 4 times. They took their finale with the Bucks in Milwaukee. That said the 76er’s had their number. Even if it took the referee’s help to win one of their final 2 games against the Cav’s. A deeper front court could help against Philadelphia. As will better shooting from outside. For the Cavaliers the next step is passing some or all of these teams. Boston, Miami and Philly are likely to be new teams after their deals. Whether that’s good remains to be seen. If the Bucks are healthy they could be unstoppable. That said they are no younger and might falter. The Cavaliers are the only team young enough to expect growth from. If things jel in either of the next 2 years watch out.