The Detroit Pistons are learning that the playoffs are a different beast than the regular season.
Games slow down, there is hyper-focus on every matchup and bucket, more scrutiny on every mistake.
They’ve handled it decently so far for a young team, as most of the roster had never appeared in the playoffs.
The Pistons have gotten varying great games and disappearing acts from their veterans in the series, which has exposed what may be their biggest flaw.
The Detroit Pistons don’t have a consistent secondary scorer behind Cade Cunningham
The Knicks were able to win games one and three by effectively trapping Cunningham and forcing other Pistons to beat them.
The Pistons have been able to overcome this strategy all season, and it’s been a different guy nearly every night, as Tobias Harris, Malik Beasley, Jaden Ivey, Tim Hardaway Jr and others have stepped up at different times in the season.
But as I said, the playoffs are different and it’s difficult to rely so heavily on notoriously streaky shooters like Beasley and THJ. Both of them are capable of having big nights but aren’t consistent scoring threats and can’t create their own shots.
The Pistons will need someone else who can, as right now, their half-court offense is too easy to stop, as we saw in several stretches in game three. Schroder has been great in the series, but you're probably in trouble if he's your most consistent scorer behind Cade.
That doesn’t mean the Pistons have to gut their roster to go star hunting, but they do need someone who can give them 18-20 points consistently in the playoffs. Jalen Brunson has his Karl-Anthony Towns but so far this series, Cade has not had a consistent number two.
Could Jaden Ivey be that guy?
The elephant in the room is Jaden Ivey, who has been out since January, but before, was starting to look like he could be the number two they need.
He was averaging nearly 18 points per game and doing it efficiently. He’s also a guy who can handle the ball and break teams down off the dribble, something the Pistons have been missing in this series.
The guy Detroit needs may already be on the roster, but whether it’s Ivey, someone else, or a combination of the two, the Pistons need someone who can help shoulder the scoring burden on a consistent basis.
Under the new CBA, it’s going to be crucial to find the right two guys at the top of the payroll. The Pistons have one of them but may have to go looking for the second this summer.