The young Detroit Pistons are getting better at closing games and that is mostly due to the addition of rookie Cade Cunningham.
“Clutch” stats are controversial, as some fans love to argue that “points are points” and a bucket in the first quarter counts the same as one in the 4th.
In addition to being a helpful reminder of how numbers work (thanks guys!), it happens to be true.
So why is it that we show replays of guys like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant hitting game winners at the buzzer instead of the baskets they scored in the 1st? A point is a point right?
While technically true, anyone who has watched or played basketball knows that things change when the game is close late. Things slow down. Defenses tighten. Crowds get louder. Pressure builds.
It’s a different game in the “clutch” and not everyone can handle it. Remember, LeBron James used to get criticized early in his career for “choking” late in games, and this is a guy who was the best player in the league at the time.
Some players seem to thrive in these moments and others don’t. So far in his young career, Cade Cunningham is showing that clutch DNA and it is making the Detroit Pistons a good 4th-quarter team.
Detroit Pistons: Cade Cunningham and the 4th quarter
The Detroit Pistons were one of the worst 4th-quarter teams in the NBA last season by just about any measure and it cost them a lot of close games.
Part of this was because they simply didn’t have enough talent, but the other part is that they didn’t have a real closer.
The Pistons were 26th in 4th-quarter points last season and even though they are not scoring a whole lot more this season, they have jumped to 11th.
The important thing is that last season they had a negative point differential in the 4th quarter and this year’s +2 is 5th in the NBA.
One of the reasons is that the Pistons’ 4th quarter defense has improved, as they are not giving up as many points as last season and the other is that they have someone to take over late.
It happened again last night against Indiana, when Cade Cunningham had four plays down the stretch that led directly to the Pistons’ win. He hit a shot immediately after coming off the bench in the 4th to tie the game.
On the next play, Cade took it to the rim again, drew a double team and found Cory Joseph for a wide-open 3-pointer.
He scored again the next play to put the Pistons up five and then drew the defense again on the next possession to hit Frank Jackson for the three-pointer that essentially sealed the win.
Even when he doesn’t score, his ability to slow down games late and get to his spots is what separates guys like him from the players who tend to shy away in these moments.
Yes, a point is just a point, but a lot of young teams fall apart in the 4th quarter when the games slow down and so far this season, the Detroit Pistons are much-improved in that area.
Cunningham is 6-of-8 so far in the clutch and is rapidly evolving into the closer the Pistons need.