Pistons Notes: Cunningham, 2024/25 Outlook, Harris, Rotation, More

The Pistons are dedicated to making sure the 2024/25 season goes far better than last year. From the coaching staff, to the front office, to the roster, Detroit has been hellbent on ensuring a sweeping culture change, according to The Athletic’s Joe Vardon. Those changes go as deep as head coach J.B. Bickerstaff not allowing players to put their hoods up when practicing.

The hiring of Bickerstaff is one of the biggest changes for the Pistons after their franchise-worst season. They also committed themselves long-term to Cade Cunningham with a max extension, traded for and signed several veterans with floor spacing capabilities, and added Trajan Langdon to the front office. Cunningham’s efficiency is maximized with floor spacers around him, so that was a concentrated effort by the front office.

“When we sat down when we were done playing [in a recent preseason game] and the younger guys were playing, he was like, ‘Beaz, I didn’t even realize how much the floor is open,’” new teammate Malik Beasley — a career 38.5% three-point shooter — recalled Cunningham saying to him. “I’m like, ‘Yeah, so use me to your advantage.’”

The franchise fully believes Cunningham can be a star, and they’re ready to lean into him as their centerpiece.

“The conversations that I’ve had with Cade, the way that I see how his teammates follow him and the way that he engages his teammates, he wants to be amongst the elites and understands that winning matters in order to be respected by your peers in that way,” Bickerstaff said.

We have more from the Pistons:

• Despite the optimism surrounding the team, the Pistons are still a work in progress, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press writes. They’re taking a patient approach with all the new systems in place. “We will be a work in progress all season long, and that’s our mentality going into this year,” Bickerstaff said. “We will not be a finished product and we don’t expect to be. This is something where we’re looking at the big picture, but our aim is to continue to get better until we feel like we’re that complete team that can compete at the level that we’re all looking to. We’ve got our foundation in. I think our guys have a clear understanding of who we are, what our plan is, what we’re trying to do.“
• Harris is one of the crucial veterans who will help the young players like Cunningham in their continued transition efforts into a winning team. The 13-year NBA veteran is already making an impression on his teammates. “He’s bringing a lot of leadership for us,” teammate Simone Fontecchio said, per Sankofa (Twitter link). “A vet, being in this league for a lot of years. He’s really helping us. Since we have a lot of young guys on the team he’s been able to teach them, lead them and that’s what we need from him.“
• Rookie No. 5 overall pick Ron Holland may have played his way into a regular season rotation role, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com writes in a mailbag. Holland’s held a regular rotation spot in five preseason games, averaging 7.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists. However, it’ll be interesting to note how the team handles his minutes when Ausar Thompson is making his return from injury. Neither is a floor spacer at this point in their careers, so they’ll have to stagger their minutes. Langlois notes that both players are working with shooting coach Fred Vinson extensively, a coach who was so coveted he was hired before Bickerstaff.
• In the same piece, Langlois asserts Cunningham, Tobias Harris, Jalen Duren and Jaden Ivey are all firmly in the starting lineup. Ivey cemented his place in the lineup with strong offseason and preseason play. After that, Langlois thinks Thompson will be the fifth starter when healthy, with Beasley, Isaiah Stewart, Fontecchio, Holland and Tim Hardaway Jr. coming off the bench. Paul Reed and Marcus Sasser would be next in line in the rotation.
• Ivey, Cunningham and Harris stand out as the winners of the preseason after all players showed progression through question marks surrounding their respective games, Sankofa writes in another piece. On the other hand, Hardaway and the rest of the veteran wings didn’t shoot well, while Thompson’s status as he recovers from blood clots that ended his rookie season remains in question.