This Magic Advantage Could Be Difference in Pistons Playoff Series

Cade Cunningham will receive Top-Five MVP votes for a reason.

Not just because he and Luka Doncic were ruled eligible by the NBA & NBPA while Anthony Edwards was ruled ineligible, but because Cunningham is a true offensive engine that a franchise can rely on for good shot creation possession to posssesion on a night-to-night basis.

Orlando’s offense compared to Detroit’s however, might be more dynamic overall when both teams are at their full strength.

Cade Cunningham is officially eligible for 2025-26 NBA awards. pic.twitter.com/nEC1DoUyd6
— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) April 16, 2026

Can the Magic's arsenal of weapons overcome Detroit's defense?

Banchero backdown — Apr 17, 2026; Orlando, Florida, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Sion James (4) defends Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) during the second half during the play-in rounds of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images | Mike Watters-Imagn Images

Since February 1st, Detroit is 25-10 while Orlando is 20-15. Despite being much higher in point differential, the Pistons' +10.2 PD rated 5th while Magic's +0.9 PD rated 16th, Detroit won just 5 more games in that stretch.

While Detroit's offense rated Top-10 in FT Rate at 8th, Orlando's offense rated 1st in the league.

Orlando's defense crept up to 13th, but Detroit's defense held at 2nd.

What's led to the Magic's best games is when their team is fully available, putting everyone in downsized roles, and when everyone is committed to team-first drive-and-kick play, the ball moves with beauty and the right guys get it near the rim and beyond the arc.

Going to the lineup for Orlando, the Magic have Jalen Suggs and Desmond Bane in the backcourt, who both can do more things with the ball than Duncan Robinson, despite Robinson's ability to shoot, space, drive.

Don’t let Franz Wagner fool you; he can do a lot of the things on the court Cunningham can do, even if not quite at the same scale over as many full seasons yet.

Paolo Banchero is a do it all downhill shot-creating tank, while Tobias Harris is a tough shot making high volume scorer when he gets going. Banchero is the more versatile shot creator for his team, especially when he remembers to lean on his strengths of attacking the rack, driving and kicking, hunting contact, running the floor, crashing the offensive glass, and leaving the hero ball for the clutch moments.

Anthony Black is Orlando’s breakout player who showed All-D level tenacity on one end and flashed point forward skills on the other. AB is a three-point shooting downhill driving posterizing pick-and-roll maestro drive-and-kick connector who showed off his development bag off the dribble all season. While Ausar Thompson is somehow an even more impactful defender, he’s much more limited offensively than AB.

Jalen Duren has the on-ball dynamic advantage over Wendell Carter Jr. in terms of faceup offensive scoring versatility, but Carter holds his own in the matchup with his defensive versatility, big man dirty work, strong rebounding, and offensive play-finishing.

I asked J.B. Bickerstaff what he credits to Jalen Duren's rapid development curve as a faceup scorer:

"His work ethic

He worked his tail off this summer, 2-3x a day on (1v1)

His pregame workup, it's not typical

He asked us to bring a coach who every single night can play 1v1" pic.twitter.com/2i8n5ZxaW7
— Ryan Kaminski NBA (@beyondtheRK) March 1, 2026

Tristan da Silva, Orlando’s 7th man, is yet another forward who can dribble pass shoot cut with a team first attitude. Daniss Jenkins runs Detroit's bench as a backup point guard, and Kevin Huerter spaces the floor as another shoot-first pump-and-drive second shooting guard, but da Silva brings a more all-around skill-set to the game.

At its best, Orlando's offense is endlessly driving and kicking until it gets a good look for the team at the rim, at the line, or beyond the arc; at its worst, the Magic's offense bogs down into tough midrange jump shots. Orlando's guards moreso create space by being set up for three, and Orlando's wings moreso bend the floor by driving, the Magic finding a balance of both while feeding the hot hand is how they come out on top.

Paint touches for Orlando's stars and creating shots out of them is all it takes for a good shot in the half court. Transition fast breaks, especially off forced turnovers, are the other swing factor for both of these playoff teams.

The key will be if Orlando's dynamic drive-and-kick machete will be able to slice through Detroit's tough defense while maintaining the energy to slow down the Piston's pick-and-roll machine through Cunningham, Duren's and Harris' one-on-one scoring, and Robinson's and Huerter's C&S 3pt shooting on the other end.

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