Cade Cunningham wore down in last season’s playoff series against the Knicks, something he vowed was not going to happen again.
Cunningham admitted that he wasn’t ready for the rigors of a full regular season and playoffs, and the Knicks didn’t make it any easier by trapping him every time he touched the ball.
It showed, as Cunningham’s legs weren’t under him, which led to poor 3-point shooting and a couple of key missed shots late in games.
It was a point of conversation on a recent episode of the Game Theory podcast, (these guys are great if you don't know already) when the hosts were discussing what tangible things Cunningham learned from the playoffs.
The biggest takeaway was that he needed to be in better shape, and the early results show that he took the challenge seriously.
Cade Cunningham is dominating late in games
Cunningham is playing 37 minutes per game (tied for the lead in the NBA) after putting in an incredible 45-minute shift in last night’s unlikely overtime win against the Wizards. It wasn’t his most efficient performance, but he handled the ball a ton and was forced into doing most of the shooting.
Even the shots Cade missed were good ones, and he had a late steal in the game that helped the Pistons complete their comeback. He took a hard foul and came back to finish the game in his best stretch of the night. It was a gut-check performance for Cade, and he was ready.
That’s been the case all season, as Cunningham leads the NBA in 4th quarter points and is doing it on outstanding shooting percentages, even after last night’s chuck-fest.
He’s shooting over 50/40/80 in the 4th and has come up with huge plays late in games. The legs haven’t been an issue for Cunningham this season, and he’s doing what superstars do, which is will their team to victory.
The Pistons are playing like scorned lovers right now, and it started with that playoff loss against the Knicks, a series they probably think they should have won.
Tough playoff losses build character and resilience, something the Pistons have shown already in this young season, especially last night with six rotation players out on the second night of a back-to-back where they had to travel.
Cunningham got himself ready for the task, but you do wonder if he can keep up this kind of pace all season. It will be something to watch as the Pistons try to balance a run at the Eastern Conference with keeping Cade healthy and ready for the playoffs.