Despite recent struggles, Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham expressed confidence in his team's ability to finish the season strong. With the playoffs approaching, he is slated to be a key figure.

Cunningham is being referred to as the best player in an upcoming first-round series against the New York Knicks, per David Dennis of ESPN's Andscape.

“The best player on the court is going to be Cade Cunningham,” he said, contending that the Knicks won't have their best player forward.

The Pistons will likely enter as the sixth seed against the third-seeded Knicks. Cunningham has proven to be at his best against the Knicks.

On Thursday, Cunningham scored 36 points and dished out 8 assists in a Pistons 115-106 win after being down by 13 points in the third quarter. A performance Pistons teammate JB Bickerstaff praised. The Knicks were hobbled without the presence of OG Anunoby, Josh Hart, and Mitchell Robinson due to injury.

This year, the Pistons are 3-1 against the Knicks. The Knicks are not healthy overall with Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns dealing with injuries as well. Meanwhile, Cunningham is in his element.

Therefore, he will be the guy to watch out for.

Cade Cunningham will be the Pistons' go-to playoff player

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Cunningham is without question the Pistons' playmaker. He can not only score but can also get others involved.

Cunningham is the team's leading scorer with 26 points per game. He is also third in the NBA in assists per game with 9.3. Cunningham is the type of player who will create space for himself to score and get others involved.

He is also known for being one of the most effective defensive players on the Pistons. Cunningham's opponents have only shot 44% from the field, the fourth lowest among the Pistons.

Cunningham is also one of the team's leaders who has played a role in getting the Pistons to their first playoff since 2019. A team that is two years removed from losing a record 28 consecutive games.

Plus, Cunningham is healthy after sustaining a calf injury in February.

So it will be interesting to see how everything unfolds in Cunningham's first playoff experience.