Pistons offseason outlook: Detroit needs to keep setting up Cade Cunni

The Detroit Pistons were eliminated from the playoffs Thursday by the New York Knicks, but that almost doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things.

For a team that won just 14 games last year to earn the sixth seed and avoid the play-in tournament, an early playoff loss in no way defines this season, as postseason success was never the point this year.

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(Of course, the Pistons would have loved to move on and compete for a championship, but the stark contrast of last season to this one allows them significant leeway to focus on process instead of immediate results.)

Detroit’s investment in veterans Tobias Harris, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Malik Beasley paid off. Full stop. Many were skeptical of Harris’ impact because his last few seasons in Philadelphia were not particularly impressive and questioned whether Hardaway could even play an influential role.

Both did, and Beasley turned himself into one of the league’s top sixth men while establishing himself as one of its best shooters to boot, knocking down 319 3-pointers on 41.6% accuracy.

The play of the vets allowed the core of youngsters, led by Cade Cunningham, to develop at a faster pace and reach new levels.

Cunningham (26.1 points, 9.1 assists) turned into one of the league’s best point guards. Jalen Duren (11.8 points, 10.3 rebounds) made defensive strides. Ausar Thompson (10.1 points, 5.1 rebounds) proved himself to be a long-term building block with his play at the wing, where he’s now one of the league’s best defenders.

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Oh, and the Pistons did this primarily without 2022 first-round pick Jaden Ivey, who was limited to just 30 games due to a broken left fibula.

Essentially, the future looks bright in Detroit, especially if Ivey comes back fully healthy next year.

The Pistons should not only be an interesting spot for free agents again, meaning they can…