The Detroit Pistons’ offseason focus needs to be finishing first next year. The best record in the Eastern Conference, the number one seed, and staving off elimination multiple times created a solid foundation to build on. The franchise was able to rebuild into a top team in the East quickly with a young roster built around a defense-first identity. In order to progress even further next season, there are two key areas Detroit needs to focus on.
More Offense
One thing that was exposed, leading to an early postseason exit, was a lack of three-point shooters to provide proper spacing. Detroit suffered through long stretches of games, stagnant and unable to score. Outside of Duncan Robinson, there was nobody who could make opposing defenses pay for collapsing into the paint to stop all-NBA talent Cade Cunningham. In the modern NBA, hitting three-pointers at a high rate is necessary to compete at an elite level. The front office must find more shooters to unlock opportunities for Cunningham and company to attack and avoid those frustrating scoring droughts.
There was also a lack of another shot creator. Cunningham was used excessively to initiate offense for what felt like every possession. When he was on the bench or forced to pass out of double teams, no other teammate could consistently break down a defense one-on-one. Quality shots became too difficult to find, and they ended up wasting some great defensive efforts that kept games close. The Pistons should be looking to find another star talent or multiple options who can generate their own offense and set others up. Cunningham is capable of taking over a game; he just needs more threats around him to make things easier.
