Cade Cunningham: Firing on all cylinders

On Monday night, the Detroit Pistons (11-16) narrowly defeated the Miami Heat with a score of 125-124 in overtime. The game was dominated by another remarkable display from Cade Cunningham, the 23-year-old point guard, who notched his sixth triple-double of the season. Cunningham dazzled with a career-best 18 assists, while also contributing 20 points and 11 rebounds to secure the victory for his team.

This kind of performance is becoming the norm for the 2021 NBA Draft No. 1 overall pick. It hasn’t been an easy road to get here though, as his sophomore campaign was derailed by shin splints, allowing him to suit up only 12 times. Last year, in his third season, he endured the weight of an NBA-record 28-game losing streak, leading to a disappointing 14-win season for the Pistons.

This season, Detroit’s play is improving, and although it’s early in the season, they’re right in the thick of things for a playoff spot, something that seemed like a pipedream a year ago today. 

The Pistons’ win against Miami on Monday, Dec. 16th, was their 11th of the season, something they didn’t achieve until March 11th during their previous campaign. Detroit’s new President of Basketball Operations, Trajan Langdon, made it a point during the offseason to acquire players who would complement Cunningham. The Pistons received veteran shooters like Tim Hardaway Jr. and Malik Beasley, and a complete scorer in Tobias Harris, who could create space for Cunningham to operate. 

The results of the re-tooled roster have been remarkable for the third-year guard. Not only is Cunningham putting up career numbers statistically, shooting 45.1% from the field and 38.6% from three, while averaging 23.5 points per game, 7.5 rebounds, and 9.7 assists (third in the league), it’s the company he is placing himself in. Only Nikola Jokić (10) and LeBron James (7) have recorded more triple-doubles this season than Cunningham’s six.

His 18 games this season of scoring 20-plus points, and recording 5-plus rebounds and 5-plus assists, leads the league, putting him just ahead of Kia MVP-level players, like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Dončić, and Jokić. Earlier this season he also became just the sixth player in NBA history to record at least 3,000 points, 900 assists, and 150 steals in 150 games or fewer, joining Allen Iverson, Grant Hill, Isiah Thomas, James, and Dončić.

After back-to-back seasons of finishing with the league’s worst record, the future is starting to look a lot brighter for the Pistons. As Detroit’s success grows, Cunningham’s achievements are as well, making it impossible not to recognize that the 23-year-old is becoming one of the elite players in the Association.

You can catch Cade Cunningham and the Pistons when they host the Utah Jazz Thursday at 7 ET

on NBA League Pass

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