The Detroit Pistons are using the 2025 preseason to test a larger on-ball role for third-year wing Ausar Thompson and to sharpen their three-point attack around All-Star guard Cade Cunningham.
Thompson takes the wheel
Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said the club wants Thompson initiating offense more frequently after the 22-year-old spent most of last season finishing fast breaks and cutting for dunks. “The tempo that he plays at when he has the ball in his hands, and the threat that he becomes, changes the way that teams have to guard him,” Bickerstaff noted on Oct. 12.
Bickerstaff added that moving Cunningham off the ball at times could ease the defensive pressure the Knicks applied during last spring’s playoffs. “Now his defender has to play off a screen or off a shift,” the coach said.
Cunningham endorsed the plan, calling Thompson “a guy who can initiate offense at a high level.” The guard said more reps in preseason could turn Thompson’s playmaking into “a big weapon for us.”
Cunningham hunting pull-up threes
Coming off his first All-NBA nod and a seventh-place finish in MVP voting, Cunningham is hunting pull-up threes with no hesitation. He ranked 27th in off-the-dribble three-point attempts last season and 11th in the playoffs, but hit just 33.8% in the regular season and 16.0% in the postseason. “I want to shoot more threes, the highest quality possible,” Cunningham said. “I’m confident, I feel good about my game right now.”
Stewart aims to revive outside touch
Forward-center Isaiah Stewart has also been urged to raise his three-point volume after launching only 53 attempts at 32.1% last year, down sharply from 380 combined attempts over the previous two seasons. Stewart has connected on two of his first three preseason tries, and both he and Bickerstaff have stressed the need for more spacing from the frontcourt.
Mixing in zone looks
On defense, Detroit experimented with man-to-man coverage and a 1-3-1 zone in last Thursday’s exhibition against Milwaukee. Bickerstaff said the roster’s length invites zone concepts, but acknowledged the team needs practice time to refine them. The Bucks showed little discomfort against the scheme, leaving open whether the approach will carry into the regular season.
Source: Hoops Rumors
