They missed long, they missed short, they missed wide. They missed in and out and halfway down. Sometimes they missed everything. 47 times the Pistons fired from three in Tuesday’s loss to the Bucks, and 39 times they missed. It was the most missed threes in a game in franchise history, and the second most in NBA history by a team other than the Rockets.
"We gotta shoot threes," said Dwane Casey. "I don't know if 47 is the number, but I thought we had great looks. Three or four were challenged, but those are shots our guys work on every day."
The biggest culprit was Cunningham. He went 0-9 from beyond the arc, and he wasn't often close. Frank Jackson, Saddiq Bey, Josh Jackson Kelly Olynyk and Cory Joseph went 0-15 combined. 24 shots, 24 misses. The Bucks made nine more threes than the Pistons on 10 fewer attempts. And they did it without the bulk of their starting lineup. That’s what separates the defending champs from a team likely headed for another lottery pick.
As for this year's top pick, it's been a rough start. Cunningham is 0-14 from three and 3-22 from the field through two games after easing his way back from an ankle injury he suffered early in training camp. He scored two points in his season debut last Saturday and six on Tuesday. He was minus-22 on a night Detroit trailed the Bucks by as many as 36 in a 117-89 loss.
"Second game in the NBA after being out for a month, so his rust is still there," Casey said. "That’s why we tried to get him some minutes toward the end, just to get the rust off the pipes."
He'll knock it off eventually. And right now, Cunningham is the least of the team's worries. The Pistons made a concerted effort to add more shooters this offseason, and they're last in the NBA in three-point percentage (26.7) through seven games. Their best shooters are missing tons of open looks. This will change, because water has to find its level. In the meantime, they have to dig in defensively.
"I don't know if it’s nerves or uptight when it comes to shooting, and then that catapults into the energy level. Shoulders drop, heads drop and they lose their confidence. Then you start turning down shots and it’s a snowball effect," Casey said. "You can’t let missed shots deflate you."
They've defined the Pistons so far -- and defined Cunningham. The rookie deserves the benefit of the doubt. Cunningham hit 40 percent of his threes last season at Oklahoma State, then 50 percent on high-volume shooting in summer league action with the Pistons. He will be fine. As for the 1-6 Pistons, we'll see. At this rate, Cunningham will be playing next to another top-five pick next season.
"Definitely had a rough start to the season so far," said Jerami Grant, the only player to show up Tuesday night. "A lot of young guys, new team, still trying to figure each other out."