The Detroit Pistons were dealt devastating news that Cade Cunningham will miss an extended period of time with a collapsed lung. With only a month left before the playoffs, the Pistons are at risk of playing the final stretch of the regular season and the start of the postseason without their superstar.
Fortunately, the Pistons have a 3.5-game lead over the No. 2-seeded Celtics in the East and have a much more favorable schedule than their closest competition from here on out, per Tankathon. This should give them enough cushion to finish at the top of the conference, but they need more contributions up and down the roster to make up for Cunningham's absence. No one is going to be able to do what Cunningham does individually, but if a few Pistons step up, it could be enough to survive this period and get to the playoffs feeling good about their chances.
1. Marcus Sasser
After spending most of the season out of the rotation, Sasser has been getting minutes over the last two weeks. He has averaged 19.8 minutes in the last eight games, including five starts when Ausar Thompson was sidelined. He continued to make shots, hitting 46.9 percent of his 3-point attempts on his way to 7.3 points per game. This will be his key to consistent minutes in Cunningham's absence.
Sasser has weaknesses in his game. Offensively, he is not very effective inside the arc, and he can be a liability defensively, as he is undersized and underathletic. But the strengths in his game will be important when Cunningham is not out there. Sasser can run a pick-and-roll, hit shots off the dribble, and create shots for himself and others.
How efficiently Sasser scores the ball will go a long way in determining how well the Pistons will do offensively. It will also determine how big a role Sasser will have once Cunningham returns in the playoffs.
2. Daniss Jenkins
After struggling immensely since the trade deadline, Jenkins lost his rotation spot in Sunday's loss to the Raptors. When Cunningham suffered the injury on Tuesday, however, Jenkins earned his minutes back and started the game's second half. He was productive in 21 minutes, putting up 15 points and seven assists. The Pistons will need more of that over the next month.
Jenkins has a feast-or-famine nature to his game due to his inconsistent shooting. After making over 38 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc before the All-Star break, he has been shooting 29.2 percent from downtown since. In fact, Jenkins has been one of the least efficient players in the entire league since the break.
At the same time, the Pistons need his shot creation. Jenkins is shifty, can get to his spots, and passes the ball as well as anyone on the roster. When Cunningham missed time earlier in the season, Jenkins played a large role in keeping the Pistons afloat. In November, when Cunningham was sidelined for three games, Jenkins led the Pistons to an undefeated mark, averaging 20.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 7.7 assists in 36.3 minutes per game. In fact, Detroit is 5-2 for the season without Cunningham, and Jenkins is a big reason why. Let's hope that he can rediscover that form again.
3. JB Bickerstaff
Bickerstaff has done an excellent job all season and deserves to be near the top in all Coach of the Year ballots. He has consistently gotten the most out of this group by pressing all the right buttons and finding the lineup combinations that work. However, that is easier to do when Cade Cunningham is there to lead the team. Now, Bickerstaff has to continue pressing the right buttons to ensure the Pistons survive offensively.
The Pistons have been overly reliant on Cunningham when Detroit possesses the ball. The star guard played a ton of isolation and pick-and-rolls, thriving in a heliocentric offense despite minimal shooting around him. No player on the roster is capable of directly replicating what Cunningham can do as the primary ball-handler. With the right combination, however, the Pistons could cobble together enough shot creation and shot-making to maintain an average offense. The key here will be not losing the defensive identity, as Cunningham was a huge part of the intensity and discipline on that end of the floor.
If Bickerstaff can motivate this team to continue defending at an elite level, the Pistons can hold onto their lead as the No. 1 seed in the East. The offense doesn't need to be dominant to get enough wins down the stretch. If they can do that, the Coach of the Year will be Bickerstaff's to lose.