Itâs been a while since anyone took the Detroit Pistons seriously. But now, after years of futility and front-office purgatory, the question isnât if the Pistons are on the riseâitâs how far Cade Cunningham can take them.
And if you ask Draymond Green? All the way.
âIâm gonna say it here firstâCade Cunningham will bring a championship back to Detroit.â via The Draymond Green Show
Thatâs not hyperbole from a guy who likes the sound of his own voice (though Draymond does enjoy the mic). Thatâs a four-time NBA champion calling his shot. And it doesnât feel wild anymoreânot with what weâve seen from Cade this season.
Cadeâs Coming-Out Year
Cade Cunningham isnât just averaging career-highsâheâs dragging an entire franchise into legitimacy. After going 14-68 last season, the Pistons are now 39-31, sitting sixth in the East. Cunningham is averaging 25.6 points, 9.3 assists, and 6.1 rebounds. Heâs turned a team once written off as a developmental project into a playoff threat.
And yes, heâs doing it with some help. The hiring of JB Bickerstaff stabilized the locker room. Dennis Schröder brought veteran grit. Tim Hardaway Jr. has spacing gravity. But this is Cadeâs team. Always has been. Now everyone else is catching up to that fact.
Just ask Chandler Parsons.
âYou take Cade Cunningham off the Pistons, theyâre nowhere near the sixth seed,â Parsons said. âHeâs that important to his team. He does everything.â
via Run It Back on FanDuel TV
Cade Cunninghamâs Game-Winner Was a Statement
On national TV in Miami, Cade put the league on notice.
Bam Adebayo, a five-time All-Defensive Team member, was glued to him. Five seconds left. Tie game. And Cade pulled up for a cold-blooded banked three to seal it. He didnât even check to see if it went in.
That nightâ25 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assistsâwasnât just Cadeâs best game. It was proof he belongs in the All-NBA conversation. He now has nine triple-doubles this season and is 10th in points per game and third in assists.
And perhaps most importantly, heâs finally doing it on a team that wins.
Dark Horse to Win It All?
OK, slow down. Even Draymond tempered expectations a little.
âI donât know when itâs going to be,â he said. âI think they still got some fine-tuning⦠but Cade Cunningham will bring a championship back to Detroit.â via The Draymond Green Show
This year? Probably not. But the Pistons have arrived, and Cade has broken through. Heâs become the type of player who wins big games, not just gets stats. The type you build around.
Heâs not just the face of the rebuild. Heâs the reason theyâre already past it.
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