The Detroit Pistons just lost Game 4 to the Orlando Magic, going down 3-1 in the series. Cade Cunningham put up a decent scoring total, but he was inefficient, and in the fourth quarter, he was virtually non-existent. But it’s almost impossible for Cunningham to truly thrive in the postseason when the Pistons haven’t given him much offensive help.
Heading into the postseason, a lot of people (media, fans, etc.) were wary of the Pistons’ lack of offensive creation. Everyone thought it would be a problem. And through the first four games, it has been a massive problem, to the point where it has affected Cunningham’s ability to put up quality performances.
Detroit is a mess right now, and a lot of people saw it coming.
Pistons have learned about their lack of non-Cade Cunningham offense the hard way
The Pistons lost Game 4 by a score of 94-88. They couldn’t even crack 90 points, let alone 100, which should be the bare minimum for playoff basketball in 2026.
Cunningham ended the night with a team-high 25 points, but he shot just 7-of-23 from the field and 3-of-11 from beyond the three-point line, turning the ball over eight times.
But to make matters worse, Cunningham got almost zero help from his teammates. In fact, only three Pistons players finished the night in double figures, and Cunningham, obviously, was one of them.
Alongside the All-Star guard, Tobias Harris put up 20 points, and Jalen Duren, who has struggled mightily throughout the postseason, ended the evening with 12.
The next-highest scorer on Detroit was Isaiah Stewart, who scored eight points in 17:15 off the bench -- and he’s supposed to be the Pistons’ defense-first guy.
It’s become painfully obvious that the Pistons don’t have enough offense on their roster, especially when it comes to creating offense. They have left Cunningham out to dry in these playoffs, and he hasn’t been able to gett he job done.
As a result, the eight-seeded Magic are up 3-1 with a chance to pull off one of the more shocking upsets in NBA history, yet it seemed like plenty of people predicted the Pistons to struggle in the postseason.
Only, most of those predictions discussed the possibility of a second-round flame-out -- not a first-round exit at the hands of a team that looked dead in the water in the final game of the regular season and the first game of the Play-In Tournament.
Detroit’s stunning lack of offense around Cunningham has come back to bite them, and they’re finally realizing what the rest of the NBA world already predicted.
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