The Whiteboard: Cade Cunningham is not scared of the stage — or the Knicks

Expectations of greatness don't make the greatness any less impressive to behold.

Cade Cunningham was the No. 1-ranked recruit in the Class of 2020, a first-team All-American at Oklahoma State, then the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. Every step of the way, the basketball public has expected Cunningham to be great, and every time, he's delivered.

So, Cunningham being great for the Detroit Pistons in the NBA Playoffs definitely doesn't qualify as a surprise, but that doesn't make it any less great. That doesn't make Pistons fans any less delirious about the possibility of winning a playoff series (and it shouldn't).

We all love the unexpected star. But sometimes, an expected star — the one who delivered on the promise and potential they were burdened with — is even more satisfying to watch grow, and that's what we're seeing in Cade Cunningham. He was always supposed to be this good, and he is. And it rocks. Because in Cade's case, the baseline for satisfying who he is "supposed" to be as an NBA player is sky-high. Watching him soar to that baseline in his fourth season, and now potentially past it in the playoffs, has been thrilling.

Cade Cunningham is thriving in his first chance at primetime

The bright lights of Madison Square Garden, the city in which it exists, the stakes of the games being played and the passionate (hostile?) fans bearing down on Cade Cunningham didn't seem to have the intended effect on Detroit's fourth-year star; instead of wilting, he's risen. A post-Easter masterpiece in Game 2, in which Cunningham poured in 33 points and 12 rebounds, gave him a total of 54 points, 18 rebounds and 15 assists in two playoffs games, marks only matched by two Hall-of-Famers.

The Knicks don't scare Cunningham, they bring out the best in him. This phenomenon isn't new either, as he's been torching the Knicks his whole career; in five of his 11 total games against New York, he's scored at least 30 points. He loves playing this team, and he just lit up MSG, helping the Pistons steal a game on the road.

I don't know if Detroit will win the series (I don't think they will) but Cade Cunningham has already done enough to prove that he is everything Pistons fans prayed he would be. The expected star has turned into the actual star, and he's already delivered Detroit more than any Piston has in the past 17 years — a playoff win.

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NBA news roundup

• Michael Porter Jr. has a "joint sprain" on his left shoulder, but it doesn't sound like his status for Game 3 is in jeopardy. Denver and LAC are tied at one game apiece.

• Damian Lillard will play in Game 2 for the Bucks against the Pacers, and his presence can't be overstated. Milwaukee's offense was flat in Game 1, and now Giannis gets his costar back.

• Jayson Tatum is day-to-day with a wrist injury, according to ESPN. His status for Game 2 is up in the air — Boston doesn't need Tatum to beat Orlando, but a star player getting hurt is never, ever what you want to see.

Kawhi Leonard is still a singular force

I've never seen a player like Kawhi Leonard. He misses extended time with continuing knee injuries every season, and every time he returns, he looks just as sharp as he did before injuries plagued his late 20s and early 30s.

If someone watched Game 4 of the 2019 NBA Finals, then didn't watch basketball for six years, then watched Monday night's playoff game between Los Angeles and Denver, they'd think you're lying if you told them that Leonard has been hurt consistently for the six years in between those two games. Even with the highlights side by side, it's hard to differentiate that Leonard from this Leonard, who scored 39 points on 15 for 19 shooting, a staggering display of efficiency from one of the most reliable offensive players in league history.

The smooth, efficient shotmaking is as good as its ever been, and he still attacks whichever poor soul is guarding him with the consistency and relentlessness of an Elder Scrolls boss. Leonard has always been one of the more underrated ball-handlers in the NBA, because every moves he makes isn't flashy, it's just practical. He doesn't waste a single movement, every muscle twitch planned on perfectly to gain an advantage over his defender.

The Clippers' offense was below average for most of the season — but it immediately became viable when Kawhi Leonard returned. There aren't many players who have that immediate, tangible impact on a team, and it's even more impressive that Leonard — who's consistently sidelined with injury — still does.