If Cade Cunningham wants to lead the Detroit Pistons to another championship, he has to shoot like an All-Star in every game he plays. As the team’s leader and top player, he needs to be consistent when he steps on the court, and that has been anything but true over the past several games. If Cunningham can’t come through when it counts in the playoffs, then Detroit isn’t getting another Larry O’Brien Trophy.
Cade Cunningham Has to Shoot Like an All-Star in the Playoffs
Being top dog on an NBA team comes with a lot of pressure. Every play that player makes, or doesn’t make, is fully and completely scrutinized. That’s because it’s his job to win when it counts, to be the guy who can make the shot no one else can when the team needs it the most. Every player dreams of being that guy, but not every player can be that guy.
This is what makes Cade Cunningham special. The Pistons drafted him first overall in 2021 for good reason, though it did take a couple of seasons and a coaching change for Cade’s top dog DNA to shine through. In large part thanks to J.B. Bickerstaff, Cunningham can shoot like an All-Star and has achieved that honor two years in a row.
Across the last two seasons, Cunningham has become one of the top players in the league and has led the Pistons to being one of the top teams. There’s no question of that. At the same time, there are questions about Detroit and whether this team really has what it takes to win the big one. Cade is at the center of that conversation.
Consistency Wins Championships
The reality of Cunningham is that he can be that guy, the top dog on the court. At the same time, he doesn’t always live up to that moniker, especially when it comes to shooting. The lack of consistency in his shot can be a huge problem for the Pistons, something that was quite apparent in their recent loss to the Cavaliers, a team they recently beat.
When the game was over, Cunningham had 10 points on 4-of-16 shooting from the field and 0-for-3 from beyond the arc. That’s not what the numbers look like when a player should shoot like an All-Star, which is exactly who Cunningham is. In the game prior to that, the Pistons beat the Magic with Cunningham scoring 29 points on 11-of-25 shooting from the field. More points, yes, but the efficiency and consistency weren’t there.
All that someone needs to do is look up the stats to see the difference in his game. On February 25th, the Pistons beat the reigning champions, the OKC Thunder. Cade also picked up 29 points during that outing, but he did it while going 11-of-16 from the field and 3-of-5 from beyond the arc. On top of that, he had four rebounds, 13 assists, three blocks, and three steals.
Cunningham Needs to Maintain His Game
Under Bickerstaff, Cunningham has improved, though the consistency aspect continues to elude him. Over the past six outings, his field goal percentages have been 43.8, 19.2, 68.8, 52.4, 44.0, and 25.0. That’s a much larger variation than a coach wants to see from their top star.
Detroit has a good team that’s on the verge of being great, and could conceivably be a contender as early as this year. That’s not going to happen if their number one guy doesn’t shoot like an All-Star every time he hits the court.
Cade Cunningham has everything it takes to be a major player in the league, something he has proven time and time again. But the all-time greats always bring that heat to every game. If the Pistons are going to live up to their potential, they need Cunningham to do it first. Until he finds that consistent rhythm as the team’s best player, it’s going to be all but impossible for Detroit to be NBA Champions.
© Mike Watters-Imagn Images
