The best of Cade Cunningham was built for playoff success. Now he needs to show it
You heard it even when Cade Cunningham was a fresh-faced high schooler at Mountverde Academy. He has the size, the poise, the strength. He never gets sped up. He dictates the pace. Cool in big moments. Wants to be great. When evaluating him against other great prospects in the 2021 NBA Draft , a big differentiator in Cunningham’s favor was that he seemed built to lead a team to playoff success.
Well, the Detroit Pistons are in the playoffs. They need Cade Cunningham to lead them to victory. Today. The Pistons will be hosting the New York Knicks in Game 4 of a first-round series. If the Pistons manage to tie up the series today, they can deliver for a fan base starved for something to cheer about. They can take control of the series with a chance to win it outright in Madison Square Garden. If they lose, a 3-1 hole and a trip on the road feels too big to overcome. They need this one. They need Cade.
Cunningham has led the Pistons throughout the playoff series but hasn’t always been his best self. He is averaging 26 points per game, but shooting just 43% overall and 30% from deep. He is averaging nearly nine assists but adding nearly six turnovers.
There have been too many misses, too many unforced errors, and too few moments of taking over the game.
The Pistons have allowed the Knicks to go on big runs in this series, and those have largely happened with Cunningham on the floor. They are letting go of the rope, and that is not supposed to happen with their captain on the floor.
Cade taking over doesn’t require him to take more than 22 shots today, which is his average through the three games in the series. It simply requires him to meet the moment.
The best of Cade and the best of the Pistons are not necessarily when it is the Cade Cunningham show. It is when he dictates the action, and his teammates know how to respond. The ball is moving, the defense is communicating, and they are dictating the pace on both ends of the floor. The Pistons might not have stars to complement Cade, at least not yet, but they know what to do. When Cade is playing at his peak, he brings out the best in players like Tobias Harris and Malik Beasley. It provides the freedom needed for young players like Ausar Thompson and Ron Holland.
Cunningham must determine what is necessary and make the right read, the right drive, the right pass, and the right rotation. Limit mistakes, trust teammates, and know when it is time for him to take control.
That is a lot to ask of a 23-year-old experiencing his first taste of what playoff basketball is all about. That’s fine, though. That’s what Cade has wanted his entire life. That is what he signed up for. It’s what he’s been working on daily since he could first dribble between his legs.
He wanted this moment. The moment is here. The Pistons need Cade to step up.