Jalen Brunson Speaks on Knicks’ Mindset vs Cade Cunningham

How will the Knicks guard Cade Cunningham?

Feb 26, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) controls the ball against New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) during the fourth quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The New York Knicks and the Detroit Pistons will meet for the fifth time this season on Saturday. This time around, the matchup holds a ton of weight, as it marks Game 1 of the NBA Playoffs.

For Cade Cunningham, it will be his first taste of playoff action since he entered the picture in the NBA. Being a former first-overall pick, Cunningham’s arrival in Detroit was a product of a rebuild.

When Cunningham arrived for his rookie season, the Pistons barely cracked 20 wins. Over the next two years, they failed to do so. Last season, Detroit was by far the worst team in the Association. They finished with a 14-68 record.

This year, Cunningham’s fourth-season emergence was vital to Detroit’s major turnaround. Suddenly, the Pistons were a 44-win team and picked up the Eastern Conference’s sixth seed. Now, the Knicks are tasked with slowing down the first-time All-Star during his first postseason appearance.

“He’s been playing great,” Knicks star Jalen Brunson told reporters on Tuesday.

“[We’ve got to] Try not to play him one-on-one. Play as a team. Cade’s obviously a guy who makes a lot of the decisions over there. It’s best if we just not play him one-on-one. We got to have each other’s backs when he’s driving, and he’s trying to make plays, and he’s getting in the paint. We can’t just leave someone on the island.”

Jalen Brunson Reveals How The Knicks Will Guard Cade Cunningham 👀 #detroitbasketball 🔵🔴 pic.twitter.com/YhdDFFINY7

— Downtown Deuce (@DowntownDeuce) April 16, 2025

In nine games against the Knicks throughout his career, Cunningham has averaged 25 points, eight assists, and five rebounds. Over his last two outings against New York, Cunningham scored 36 points in each matchup. He made over 50 percent of his shots in every game the Pistons played against the Knicks this year.

The regular season and the playoffs are two different beasts, and the series between the Knicks and the Pistons resets, but Detroit’s success against New York shouldn’t be overlooked heading into the series. With three wins in four matchups, the Pistons are entering the postseason confident.

Meanwhile, the Knicks know they can’t take the inexperienced Cunningham and the Pistons lightly. Brunson and his team will have to trust that they have the edge with homecourt advantage and experience. Soon, the league will find out if the Pistons were ready or not—or if the Knicks’ all-in attempt was a failure.