Cade Cunningham is in his fourth season with the Detroit Pistons. He was selected with the first overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. Since entering the league, Cunningham has carried the weight of a franchise on his shoulders. The young guard has navigated injury issues and poor roster construction as he’s slowly developed him overall game.
After a summer in which the front office added significant spacing to the rotation, Cunningham is starting to shine. The 23-year-old guard is currently averaging 24 points, 6.6 rebounds and 9.3 assists per game. He’s shooting 45.4% from the field and 37.2% from three-point range.
That developmental leap has seen Cunningham emerge as one of the most exciting young guards in the NBA. Not only is he starting to live up to his pre-draft hype, he’s providing hope to a Pistons franchise that has floundered for too long.
“When you watch film of him the last few years, you know he’s a leader,” Trajan Langdon told Yahoo Sports’ Vincent Goodwill. “To his credit, he’s played at a super high level on the court. And he’s been great with his teammates. Leading is hard. You can talk it, but you gotta back it up … He’s got this fuel and this fire. He’s been through a lot of adversity in his few years with the injury. It’s a lot, mentally, emotionally. And then last year. Coming back, how he did this summer to prepare for the season, it shows what type of resilient young man he is. He deserves to be mentioned with the top players in the league.”
Cunningham was 20 years old when he entered the NBA, landing in one of the worst situations possible. Both he and the franchise have had to remain patient. But, with J.B. Bickerstaff now running the team, Detroit has started to show some encouraging signs of improvement.
Cunningham and the Pistons are going to grow together. Their success will be tied to each others ability to continue improving. Detroit knew it was drafting a franchise cornerstone, and now, they’re finally getting to experience the type of hope that comes with having a genuinely elite talent on the roster.
