While not in the same draft class, both Cade Cunningham and Paolo Banchero have followed similar career paths.
They were both No. 1 picks taken into rebuilding situations with huge expectations to be a franchise savior.
Both players struggled with efficiency early in their careers despite hints of their potential and success. Banchero broke through to the All-Star Game and playoffs first. Cunningham had to deal with an ill-fitting coach and injuries.
Only one has answered those questions definitively. And the gap between where Cunningham is and where Banchero is only seems wider as the two played their first Playoff series against each other.
The Pistons' Game 6 comeback victory was only the latest sign of that gulf. After struggling through the first half, Cunningham stepped up his game as his team gained confidence. Cunningham put the finishing touches on the 24-point comeback and the defensive mastery the Pistons put on the Magic.
Banchero? The Magic tried forcing things to him and begged him to rescue them with tough shots. He was unable to hit any of them as part of the Magic's 19-point, 4-for-37 shooting in the second half. The Magic's star could not rescue his team.
That has been the difference all season.
"Having your back against the wall really shows who you are," Cunningham said after Game 6. "There has been a lot of adversity so far in the series. I think we have learned a lot about who we are as a team and individually, and what we are made out of. It has been a fun series. We want to get back to the crib and handle our business at home."
In the Playoffs, everything gets highlighted. Stars must step up their games to help teams get through any rough moments during the game. There is heightened attention on what they are doing.
And despite this series heading to a Game 7, it is clear which players does that for his team and which player does not.
Response to frustration
Neither Paolo Banchero nor Cade Cunningham have likely had the series they imagined.
Cunningham has had his struggles throughout this series -- his disastrous fourth quarter in Game 4 comes to mind. But he has also stepped up too, willing the team into the game in Game 1 with 16 of his 39 points in the fourth quarter and in Game 3 with 12 of his 27 to lead that comeback effort and take the lead despite a poor 8-for-23 shooting showing.
Cunningham is averaging 32.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game on 44.9 percent shooting and 36.2 percent shooting from three. He has struggled with turnovers with 6.2 per game. But that has not deterred him from staying aggressive or hitting key shots.
In Friday's game, he struggled again to find his footing with just eight points on 3-for-9 shooting in the first half. But as the Pistons began their comeback, it was Cunningham who helped lead the charge offensively. And when Detroit took the lead, it was because Cunningham was finishing plays and getting to the foul line.
Cunningham had 24 points in the second half on 7-for-14 shooting. He was 8 for 9 from the line in the fourth quarter alone. He added four second-half steals.
He may not have sparked the run, but he finished the Magic off and did not let them regain hope.
"I was trying to stay in his ear trying to encourage him," Duncan Robinson said after Game 6. "He obviously does so much for us, and encouraging him to be our best player, to be one of the best players in the world. Also, in moments, trust us, and he does that masterfully. I think just his tone and the way he settled us in that second half, whenever we needed a bucket, it felt like he got to his spot."
That feels like the biggest difference.
Cunningham comfortably got to his spots and is a more confident shooter in the mid-range especially. He could hit the tough shots that his team needed to calm things down.
That is the opposite of what Banchero did in a 4-for-20 shooting performance in an elimination game at home.
Banchero was just 1 for 11 in the second half with 5-for-6 shooting from the foul line. He could not hit jumpers and could not force his way to the line to supplement his scoring and allow the team to breathe.
That is a credit to the Pistons' defense.
Banchero was just 2 for 6 in the restricted area. He was not getting the looks that help settle himself and the team down. Only two of those attempts came in the second half -- including the breakaway dunk late in the fourth quarter.
"It's the Playoffs," Banchero said after Game 6. "This series has been a slugfest. I wish I had some complex answer for what actions or ball movement or whatever. Sometimes the game goes that way. Unfortunately we had a very bad drought tonight. You've just got to wipe it off and get ready for Game 7."
Everyone is looking for answer with the Magic.
Will there be a breakthrough?
This speaks to the difference between the two young stars.
Cade Cunningham will be on an All-NBA team this year and likely in the top five of MVP voting after averaging 23.9 points and 9.9 assists per game even on a less-than-efficient 51.3 percent effective field goal percentage.
That is what a 1-seed and a clear statistical effect on winning will do. How the Detroit Pistons responded down 22 at the half and facing elimination says a lot about that group and
"Fight to see another day," Cunningham said after Game 6. "Never say die mentality. I mean, that is who we are. We weren't going to lay down for anything. Obviously, we had a big hill to climb, but there was still a lot of confidence in the room that we were going to do it together, and we were going to find a way out."
Paolo Banchero has struggled to have these kinds of breakthrough moments this season.
He had a rough season averaging 22.2 points per game. He had his best shooting season at 45.9 percent shooting overall (but 49.6 percent effective field goal percentage). He added a career-high 8.4 rebounds per game and 5.2 assists per game.
Something was off with him all year. And the Magic suffered for it, especially with Franz Wagner out for most of the season.
When he has a bad game, he has a bad game everywhere. And the inability to settle his team down in Game 6 cost the team its chance to clinch a spot in the next round.
How he responds will define him and his team for the rest of the season. He had a 45-point showing in Game 5, although his seven missed free throws felt big in such a tight game. Orlando was close to throwing the knockout punch in its two chances.
Game 7 will go to the stars. And the feeling of who will win only further explains the gap between these two former top picks.
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