Key Takeaways

• Historically, the Pistons struggled when teams could heavily protect the rim, relying on two shot blockers to clean up mistakes rather than generating enough paint scoring.
• This season, Detroit added perimeter shooting to prevent teams from helping Cade Cunningham with impunity, enabling three or four shooters to orbit around him and stretch the defense.
• The strategy emphasizes forcing tough defensive choices for opponents, as the Pistons seek to punish any over-help by locating open shooters and maintaining ball movement.
• Key players like John Collins and Javonte Green are tasked with drawing one of Miami’s bigs away from the hoop by knocking down early threes, while Duncan Robinson is expected to help scramble defenses with movement.
• The team has discussed the need for a second creator, but the current plan leans on continual ball movement to find open shooters and relieve Cunningham’s load.
• In their first game, the Pistons attempted 40 three-pointers and connected on 38 percent, signaling a potential shift toward mid-30s attempts per game to keep defenses honest.
• The overarching objective is to pair shooting lineups with interior threats to re-balance Detroit’s offense and force Miami to respect the perimeter as the season progresses.