Cade Cunningham's alarming trend of excessive turnovers and poor clutch play reared its ugly head in the Pistons' Game 3 loss against the Magic. Despite a great game from unsung hero Ausar Thompson, the Pistons fell behind early due to Cade's 9 turnovers and fell short in their fourth-quarter comeback because of his shortcomings. Despite all of Cade's usual greatness, these mistakes continue to pop up when the Pistons ask too much of him.
The Pistons need Cade to be better
Unfortunately for Cade, the Pistons lack other reliable shot creators even in their most offensively-slanted lineups. He's constantly asked to be the sole creator for himself and his teammates, especially against the intense defenses of the playoffs. Cade is great and capable of carrying a big load, but he is also prone to costly mistakes when he faces too much pressure.
In this series against the Magic, the problem has been even worse because the Pistons' would-be second star in Jalen Duren has failed to produce anything close to a star-level impact. Duren was meant to be the release valve for Cade when defenses blitzed the All-Star point guard, but he's been pedestrian at best so far. Duren has been a complete non-factor when he's trying to create his own offense, and even struggled in the pick-and-roll with Cade.
This persisting problem goes both ways; Cade needs to be more careful with the ball but the Pistons also need to get him more offensive help. He's been near the top of the league in turnovers from the moment he entered the NBA, and yet the Pistons still put him in situations where he's forced to have the ball in his hands constantly. Cade is a capable lead guard with the occasional lapses, but even the best guards in the NBA need a capable co-star.
Detroit can't win in the playoffs with this issue
If the Pistons are already struggling to win a series against the 8th-seeded Magic because of this expected problem, they have little hope of competing for a title. They will surely face even better teams in the playoffs if they win the series and advance. As their opponents get better, the pressure on Cade will only increase as opposing coaches try to exploit his weaknesses and lack of help.
The Pistons need to prioritize a second star in the upcoming offseason. Even if they have to give up significant assets in a trade, Detroit must find a way to solve this issue once and for all. If it persists into next season, they may end up wasting more years of Cade Cunningham while putting him in terrible situations.
Add us as a preferred source on Google