NBA Analyst Kevin O’Connor Makes Bold Cade Cunningham Statement Amid Pistons Playoff Push

Detroit were leading by nine points with over two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. But they didn’t score a single point in the remaining time.

Even worse, the Pistons went scoreless for five minutes, starting late in regulation and extending to midway through overtime.

They conceded 13 straight points while the Cavs kept increasing the gap. Cunningham cut the Cavs’ lead to two points with 25 seconds remaining in overtime, but failed to win the game. 

Cunningham recorded 39 points, seven rebounds, nine assists and two steals in 48 minutes. He was the only player on his team to have crossed the 20-point mark.

Jalen Duren’s Form Is Concerning for the Detroit Pistons

While aside from Cunningham, every player on the Pistons roster deserves ‌criticism, Jalen Duren deserves the most from his supporting cast. 

Duren had a breakout season and was one of the leading candidates for Most Improved Player in the league, and made his first All-Star selection, averaging over 19 points a game.

This playoff, he is averaging fewer points on a terrible 49.4% for a center. He was already being called out for his first-round performance against the Orlando Magic. And the Cleveland series has been worse for the Pistons’ big man.

In five games this series, he is averaging 9.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.0 steals per game while shooting 46.2% from the field.

For a center who shot 65% throughout the regular season, the playoff performance is concerning.

This playoff might impact Duren’s summer. He was expected to sign a max deal during the offseason. With this kind of performance, the Pistons might not want to come to the table with a big offer.