Cade Cunningham’s Rise Drives Detroit’s Push Toward NBA Relevance
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DETROIT — Two seasons removed from a record-tying 28-game skid, the Detroit Pistons believe they have found their franchise compass in 24-year-old guard Cade Cunningham. The No. 1 overall pick in 2021 has already delivered milestones that had eluded the organization for more than a decade, including last spring’s Game 2 victory over the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden — Detroit’s first playoff win since 2008.
Cunningham finished that night with 33 points, punctuating the performance with a third-quarter dunk created by an errant Jalen Brunson pass. As he sprinted back on defense, he made eye contact with Knicks legend Carmelo Anthony, silently signaling that his arrival on the league’s biggest stage was no accident.
The next step: MVP-caliber impact
After earning his first All-Star selection and placing seventh in last season’s Most Valuable Player voting, Cunningham is openly targeting even loftier recognition. “If I can take this team where we want to go, those individual awards will follow,” he said earlier this month. Team success remains the prerequisite; the past six MVP winners averaged nearly 59 victories, and Detroit finished with 44 last season.
While he was a finalist for Most Improved Player in 2024-25, Cunningham downplayed the distinction. He prefers to be judged against the league’s elite, not against year-over-year progress. Older brother Cannen Cunningham says that confidence has been present since childhood: “Cade always talked about being the best in the world.”
Franchise cornerstone
The Pistons underscored their commitment in July 2024 with a rookie-scale maximum extension worth $269 million over five years. Owner Tom Gores pointed to Cunningham’s demeanor during the 2023-24 losing streak as proof of his leadership. “When we were at our lowest, he never blinked,” Gores said. “That’s when you learn who someone really is.”
President of basketball operations Trajan Langdon and head coach J.B. Bickerstaff have since tailored the roster around their floor general. Last season they emphasized spacing by adding Tim Hardaway Jr. and Malik Beasley. With Hardaway now in Denver and Beasley under federal investigation and unsigned, Detroit moved quickly in July to acquire forward Duncan Robinson from Miami for additional shooting.
The team’s young core — Jalen Duren, Ausar Thompson, Ron Holland, Jaden Ivey and Isaiah Stewart — provides finishing at the rim, secondary playmaking and perimeter defense. Veteran forward Tobias Harris, 33, says Cunningham’s maturity belies his age: “He’s got that competitive spirit and backs it up with work.”
Coaching partnership and on-court evolution
Bickerstaff, entering his third season in Detroit, stresses that Cunningham’s responsibilities extend beyond scoring. “When you’re that guy, you don’t get days off,” the coach noted. He has challenged the 6-foot-6 guard to improve efficiency, anticipate double-teams and arrive in peak condition. Early-season opponents have already trapped Cunningham aggressively; a welt under his right eye from the opener against Boston serves as evidence.
The coach also emphasizes defense: Cunningham’s size and instincts, Bickerstaff believes, allow him to match up with the league’s premier wings. “You don’t end up in MVP conversations if your team isn’t winning at a high level,” he said.
Lessons from playoff heartbreak
Detroit’s 2024-25 campaign ended when Brunson closed out the first-round series on the Pistons’ home floor, denying a Game 7 back in New York. Cunningham has watched the film “a couple times,” fast-forwarding through the toughest sequences but accepting them as necessary education. Bickerstaff chooses not to re-watch, saying the loss is “etched in my mind.”
The organization sees that disappointment as fuel for a climb in an Eastern Conference that currently looks open behind the Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers. The shared goal: transform the Pistons from promising upstarts into legitimate contenders — and, in the process, position their franchise player for the accolades he seeks.
Source: ESPN
