The Detroit Pistons are the worst team in the NBA but don't blame Cade Cunningham for the embarrassing start to the season.
The Detroit Pistons just finished the month of November with a record of 0-15. Much of the blame has been put on former number 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham for the team's recent struggles. While Cunningham may be an easy target, he is not at fault in this situation.
The Pistons have done him no favors in putting talent around him. Don't get me wrong, there are promising young players such as Ausar Thompson and Jalen Duren but with this supporting cast of young players there is one common theme; lack of shooting and spacing. The highest percentage 3-point shooting in the starting lineup currently is Isaiah Stewart at 38.2%.
This does Cunningham no favors when he has the ball in his hands trying to run the offense. Teams can help off everybody else on the team and focus their attention more on him. He is currently leading the league in turnovers at 4.5 as a result of this.
The Detroit Pistons' front office finds itself in a conundrum
The front office has added some veteran shooters to help space the court but this also limits the minutes they can give to their other young wings. Alec Burks has had a solid season thus far off the bench as a shooter who can space the floor. Bojan Bogdanovic is yet to make his season debut after averaging 21.6 points per game on 48.8% shooting from the field.
His addition to the lineup will make a huge difference in this offense. However, as talented as a player as Bogdanovic is, this much weight to make a difference for this team should not fall on him.
Cade Cunningham is not the one to blame for the outcome of this Pistons season. He is doing all he can with the team he has around him. The front office needs to do a better job in adding the talent necessary to get the best out of him. He has the potential to be an elite point guard who can facilitate an offense among the best of them this league has to offer but to unlock this from him, he needs the right talent around him to elevate his skillset.
The Pistons are well on their way to another disappointing finish to the season. Something may need to change after the season, but it shouldn't be Cunningham.