Cade Cunningham matches Luka Doncic, Oscar Robertson’s feat despite Detroit’s early playoff exit

The Detroit Pistons put up a fight against the New York Knicks but were ultimately eliminated in six games in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. However, Cade Cunningham delivered a standout performance that allowed him to join an elite group alongside Luka Doncic and Oscar Robertson.

Cunningham finished his playoff run averaging 25 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists, making him just the third player in NBA history to post those numbers in his postseason debut.

The 23-year-old point guard reached the playoffs for the first time in his four-year NBA career and led Detroit in scoring in five of the six games in the series. His best performance came in the 100-94 win in Game 2 at Madison Square Garden, where he scored 33 points in 42 minutes on the court.

Luka Doncic accomplished something similar in his second season with the Dallas Mavericks, when in the 2020 playoffs he posted averages of 31 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 8.7 assists during a 4-2 first-round loss to the Los Angeles Clippers in the Western Conference.

Cade Cunningham averaged 25 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists in his playoff debut

And before the Slovenian guard, the only other player to reach such numbers in his playoff debut was NBA legend Oscar Robertson. In his second year with the Cincinnati Royals in 1962, the Big O made his first postseason appearance and averaged 28.8 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists in a 3-1 series loss to the Detroit Pistons.

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Cunningham is satisfied with Detroit’s performance

Despite the early exit against the Knicks, Cade Cunningham believes the team left a strong impression. “We proved to ourselves that what we have in the room works and can be very successful in the NBA,” he said, according to ESPN.

“I think at the same time, we proved that to the rest of the league as well that when they come play Detroit, it’s going to be a dogfight,” the guard added. “So I think that’s the thing that the whole league has taken notice, too, and just the belief in the locker room has grown a ton.”

The Pistons had a strong year

Even though the Pistons’ playoff run was short, just making it there was already an achievement. They finished sixth in the regular season with a 44-38 record and returned to the Eastern Conference playoffs after a six-year absence.

With a young roster and the increasingly clear leadership of Cunningham, Detroit has plenty of reasons to believe this season could be the start of something big. After making the playoffs this year, the next step in coming seasons will be improving that performance—something the franchise has struggled to do in recent years.

In the past 18 seasons, they’ve made the playoffs only five times. In four of those appearances, they were eliminated in the first round. The last time Detroit advanced past the opening round was in 2008, when they reached the Eastern Conference Finals after defeating the Philadelphia 76ers and Orlando Magic, before falling to the Boston Celtics.