Cade Cunningham has been brilliant leading the Pistons all season, but one thing was missing: his three-point shooting. In the last two games, he seems to have re-discovered his stroke from outside, making a combined 11-of-22 threes in that span. It's a terrifying proposition for the rest of the NBA, which was already struggling to guard Cade even when his outside shot wasn't falling.
Cade can take his game to the next level with a consistent three
The Pistons' overall outside shooting is a major question to answer in the final games of the regular season. Cade hasn't gotten a ton of support in that department aside from Duncan Robinson throughout the season. But he himself wasn't helping much either; Cade was shooting just 32% from deep before the last two games.
But Pistons fans always had faith in Cade's shot coming back. He is actually shooting a better percentage on tightly contested threes (43%), often self-created, than wide-open threes (27%) this season. Getting the easy ones to fall again seemed inevitable at some point.
In the last two games, Cade has done a great job of knocking down threes in any situation. That includes wide open threes generated from good ball movement or offensive rebounds. But it also includes his signature self-created jumpers coming off dribble combinations and stepbacks. These are the true superstar shots which Cade was missing in the playoffs last year.
It's contributed to some strong individual performances from Cunningham in big wins. He's been unstoppable even against elite defenders because his 3-point jumper makes him impossible to guard. Even without hitting threes, opposing defenses were unable to keep him out of the paint. So adding that jumper to his arsenal gives him too many options for opponents to slow down.
Against the Knicks in the playoffs last season, Cade's three-point shooting inexplicably fell off. He shot just 18% from three after hitting 35% in the regular season. And he was still able to average 25 points per game and nearly beat the Knicks in a close 6-game series. If he had knocked down threes at his usual rate, that could've meant another two points per game for Cade and completely changed the series.
Cade has improved in every area of basketball this season. He's been better as an overall scorer and playmaker while also being an impact defender. But his lack of a reliable three-point shot has still limited his offensive impact and overall scoring efficiency. It hasn't held the Pistons back from claiming the East's top seed and dominating the league, but it's another area of growth for Cade. If his three ball is back for good, Cade will rightfully claim his spot atop the NBA pantheon.