If the Detroit Pistons are to live up to their potential, the climb to playoff success may have to start with All-Star point guard Cade Cunningham growing closer to his elite ceiling.
He broke out this season for the Pistons, setting career highs in points per game (26.1), assists per game (9.1), field goal percentage (46.9%) and games played (70) in his fourth season in Detroit.
And now that he has arrived as the focal point of a playoff team, Pistons president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon believes Cunningham’s next step is to prepare for the rigors of playoff basketball.
“The biggest thing for him is, we’ve talked to him about it, is just getting in elite shape,” Langdon said May 7. “Now he has a little bit of late-season experience and playoff experience, he knows how that feels. So understanding what you’re training for in the summer, once you’ve experienced it, you can train for it because you felt it.”
It would be inaccurate to say Cunningham played poorly in the playoffs, but he didn’t play up to the averages he enjoyed in the regular season, averaging 25 points and 8.7 assists against 5.3 turnovers per game in six playoff games against the New York Knicks, while shooting 5-for-28 from the 3-point line.
Cunningham especially struggled in the Game 1 loss at Madison Square Garden in New York, scoring 21 points on 8-for-21 shooting from the field, but making up for it with a series-high 12 assists. He scored 33 points on 11-for-21 shooting in Game 2, one of the team’s two wins against the Knicks in the series, and the only game where he breached the 30-point mark or shot 50%.
Meanwhile, his Knicks counterpart Jalen Brunson thoroughly outplayed Cunningham on the offensive side, scoring 30-plus points in all but one game and finishing off the Pistons in Game 6 with a 40-point performance and series-winning 3-point shot.
Of course, Brunson has been here before with 50 games of playoff experience over five seasons. Langdon is hoping Cunningham’s first six playoff games can prepare him for a deeper playoff run.
“If you’ve never experienced playoff basketball, you can’t understand the level you have to go to,” Langdon said. “And now he understands that, he’s felt it. So he should be training for the the first, second round of the playoffs and not for game 45 anymore.”
Cunningham seemed like he immediately knew what the challenge would be during his news conference following the Game 6 loss on May 1.
“That feeling will stick with us throughout the summer, in our workouts and our conversations and everything. We’ll be back and better,” Cunningham said.
You can reach Christian at cromo@freepress.com.
Do Detroit Pistons already have their “Josh Hart” in Ausar Thompson?
We breakdown Ausar Thompson’s playoffs vs. Knicks, and what role he can fulfill for Pistons. Watch, listen and subscribe to “The Pistons Pulse” podcast.
Submit a letter to the editor at freep.com/letters, and we may publish it online or in print.
Follow the Pistons all year long with the best coverage at freep.com/sports/pistons.