The additions of rock-solid veterans Monte Morris and Joe Harris and high-ceiling rookies Ausar Thompson and Marcus Sasser notwithstanding, the principal reason the Pistons expect a surge in the standings for the coming season rests with their returning young core.
In Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey, their backcourt looks set for the next generation. If the Pistons get on a track toward the franchise’s third championship era, the catalyst will be the evolution of Cunningham and Ivey into a backcourt worthy of being mentioned in the same paragraph as their Isiah Thomas-Joe Dumars and Chauncey Billups-Rip Hamilton predecessors.
In Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart, they feel the foundation for the physical, defensive-minded frontcourt that also defined the two title eras is in place with the door cracked for either Marvin Bagley III or James Wiseman to complete the puzzle.
It might have gotten buried under other news or fallen into the cracks of the NBA’s slow season, but word that Cunningham and Duren earned invitations to participate with USA Basketball’s Select Team, scrimmaging against the group that will compete in next month’s World Cup, won’t go unnoticed – or uncelebrated – at Pistons HQ.
Those invitations are coveted, the experience universally regarded across the NBA as nothing but beneficial to player development. It can be humbling, going against more experienced and accomplished players, but for those with the right demeanor and competitive spirit it almost always accelerates learning curves and opens eyes to another level of commitment and performance.
And if the Pistons know anything about Cunningham and Duren, it’s that they are about the right things and almost surely will return from their USA Basketball experience the better for it.
Cunningham, in fact, turned down an invitation to be part of Team USA for the World Cup, according to credible reporting, in favor of a more measured approach to his return from season-ending shin surgery he underwent last December.
It speaks to the regard in which Cunningham is held across the NBA and with USA Basketball, where he led a gold-medal charge from the 2019 U19 team that included the headliners of the 2021 NBA lottery. On a roster dotted with notables like Evan Mobley, Jalen Green and Scottie Barnes, it was Cunningham who was the acknowledged leader and impetus for the title run.
You can bet Cunningham will rank high on the watch list among possibilities for the 2024 Olympic team and future USA Basketball groups, too. The fact he’s participating in this summer’s Las Vegas camp validates what general manager Troy Weaver said earlier this month about Cunningham’s rehabilitation being on course. That he’s confident enough in his readiness after being away from five-on-five competition for nearly eight months is nothing shy of great news for the Pistons and their fans.
Duren is also no stranger to the USA Basketball folks. He was part of the 2019 U16 team and surely would have been active in succeeding years but for COVID-19 interruptions. Just as he was the NBA’s youngest player for his rookie season, Duren will be the youngest member of the Select Team and by a wide margin.
It’s worth remembering what Weaver said of Duren as his rookie season ended: “That’s one guy that I won’t ever put a ceiling on. As you keep watching him, you just see different things. He’s a very smart young man, got tremendous gifts. He’s got a chance to be a big-time player and looking forward to his continued growth.”
That growth should get a nice boost ahead of his second NBA season. The same for Cunningham after losing his second season to injury, but using it to boost his understanding of the NBA and his teammates. There are plenty of reasons the Pistons expect to serve notice to the NBA in 2023-24, but Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren are right there at the top of the list – and they’ll come to camp that much better for their time spent with USA Basketball.