2026 NBA Playoffs - Second round series

[TOO]

Cade Cunningham is not THAT guy, much like Banchero as a former first overall, good players, can't carry a team on their back. Pistons play like assholes in the worst way, I'm glad they lost.

Who's his #2? Duren? Thompson? It's like Book...one guy can only do so much.

He doesn't need a number 2, he's is the number 2, just like Booker.

[Split T]

#2 scorer was Harris…not exactly a #2…they should’ve traded for MPJ

[Ring_Wanted]

#2 scorer was Harris…not exactly a #2…they should’ve traded for MPJ

They really shot themselves in the foot. Standing pat this trade deadline was criminal with how wide open the East looked and the amount of expiring/movable contracts, draft picks and other assets they had available. Look at how cheap went guys like Coby White, Kuminga, Sexton, Simons, Ayo, McCain or even Kennard.

Yes, they still do have options for next season with the assets they kept plus more expiring crap (LeVert, Reed, Sasser; and Robinson's unguaranteed) but with the kind of regular season they were having I would be kicking myself if I was a DET fan because of the missed opportunity.

Yet their biggest problem is Duren shitting the bed as a second option, when they need to give him a new contract this summer (presumably a rookie max that can balloon even more if he makes an all nba team as he'd be applicable for the Rose rule).

[Mori Chu]

Hard to blame them for not shaking things up when they were the 1 seed in the East all year. You don't want to mess with a great team. But now with the benefit of hindsight, yes maybe they should have made a move. The Duren thing is a real tough one. I think he is just young; he had a rough playoffs, but he will get better. But maxing out the wrong guy can cripple a team for years.

[Mori Chu]

An actual Oklahoma newspaper published (and later deleted) this story. Wowza.



https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/oklah ... 21551.html

[O_Gardino]

The Duren thing is interesting to me. He was wildly efficient in the regular season, but I would argue that he was never the second option.

11.5 fga from a guy playing 28 mpg, and he's being treated like he was supposed to carry that offense. He's a finisher, not a creator. He doesn't shoot beyond 5 feet. Of course playoff defenses figured him out - no playoff team is giving up 11 dunks a night to Duren. Even as limited as he is, he still shot better than 50% in the playoffs and kept moving the ball for assists. Opponents just did a good job of limiting his opportunities, which is as much about the system as it is about him.

It's on the shooters and creators to make the offence easy for the finishers.

Harris: 15 fga .425 fg%, 4.6 3pa .292 3p%
Jenkins: 8.7 fga .361 fg%, 4.1 3pa .271 3p%
Duren: 7.8 fga .514 fg%, 0 jump shots

I could write an almost identical post for Thompson. Both of those guys got fewer shot attempts and were less efficient than they were in the regular season, but that should have been expected. They can't shoot. Guarding them is a matter of positioning and effort. Defenses did a good job of limiting easy shots at the rim and forcing bad shots from Harris and Jenkins. That's the game.

[TOO]

An actual Oklahoma newspaper published (and later deleted) this story. Wowza.



https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/oklah ... 21551.html

The Okla-OhMan!