The Pistons blew a pivotal Game 5 against the Cavaliers despite a great performance from Cade Cunningham because of his team’s shortcomings. Despite scoring an efficient 39 points himself, Cade got little help from his expected secondary options and the Pistons offense struggled as a result. Unfortunately, he has essentially been set up for playoff failure thanks to the deficiencies of his teammates.
The Pistons need to get Cade some help
Cunningham has done everything the Pistons could ask from him. In Game 5, he made smart adjustments to get his teammates the ball in advantageous situations when he was doubled. Despite that, the Pistons went scoreless in the final 3 minutes of the fourth quarter as the Cavaliers steadily tied the game on a 9-0 run.
No matter who Detroit throws out on the floor, they haven’t been able to take advantage of Cade’s gravity. In crucial games and possessions, opposing defenses can rest easy knowing they just have to get the ball out of Cade’s hands. The problem wasn’t as pronounced in the regular season, but smart coaches in the playoffs know how to exploit this weakness.
Cade has been arguably the best scorer in the playoffs. He’s the only player averaging 30 points per game this postseason and doing so while shooting 44% from the field and 42% from three. In spite of his individual brilliance, the Pistons have ranked just 10th out of 16 teams in points per game.
The Pistons aren’t letting Cade play his game
Truth be told, Cunningham is more of a natural playmaker than a scorer. In the lowest-pressure games against tanking teams this season, he veered towards getting his teammates involved and racking up assists rather than dominating with his scoring. But in the playoffs, he's been forced to score more and responded well.
Cade's success as a scorer despite being a natural point guard is a testament to his competitive spirit and elite basketball skill. But the Pistons are limiting him from his true potential by surrounding him with players that don't complement him offensively. Even when Cade created wide-open looks for his teammates down the stretch of Game 5, they weren't able to knock them down.
In order for the Pistons to find deep playoff success, they will likely need to add better offensive talent around Cade. Fortunately, Cade has shown his superstar ability this postseason with his superhuman scoring performances. We all know he's capable of much more with his playmaking if his teammates could convert looks. Hopefully it's only a matter time before Detroit's front office gives him more help and the Pistons find out how far Cade can really lead them.
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