Langdon’s words, which were told to Cunningham directly during his exit meeting before the executive discussed the matter with the media, should not be seen as an indictment of the Pistons’ point guard. He played in a career-high 70 games in 2024-25, leading Detroit to its first postseason appearance since 2019. Expectations will rise for Cunningham and the Pistons, meaning he has to be even better in the future. “The big thing for him, and we talked to him about it, get into elite shape,” Langdon said, according to the Detroit News. “He is incredibly skilled and talented. He understands the leadership of it. He now has a little bit of late-season and playoff experience, he knows how it feels. So, now, he has an understanding of what he is training for in the summer. If you have never experienced playoff basketball, you don’t understand the level you have to go to. He should be training for the first and second rounds of the playoffs. Not just Game 45 (of the regular season) anymore.” Entering this season with a Yahoo! ADP of 27, Cunningham was a top-10 player in eight-cat formats. He’ll likely come off the board during the second round of standard league drafts, which is reasonable for a player of his caliber.

Cunningham did not have the most efficient night, shooting well below 50 percent from the field and committing five turnovers. However, he made frequent visits to the foul line to boost the point total, and the Pistons’ improved ball control overall factored into their win on Tuesday. Cunningham still recorded a complete stat line, but he has committed at least five turnovers in all five games of the series. Thanks to their victory, the Pistons get another chance to face the Knicks at home, with Game 6 scheduled for Thursday night.

Cunningham recorded a complete stat line in Game 3, but the Knicks did a better job of making him work for his offense than in Game 2. He shot 40 percent from the field, which isn’t terrible, but he also had six turnovers on the night. To avoid falling into a 3-1 hole on Sunday, the Pistons will need Cunningham to be at his best. And overall, he’s played exceptionally well in his first postseason appearance.