Why Detroit Pistons' Cade Cunningham is unstoppable right now: 'He's that kind of guy'
The Detroit Pistons lean hard on Cade Cunningham. Obviously.
Even so, the 2021 first overall pick has had his work cut out late in the season. He’s been the first and second offensive option, lifting an injury-battered rotation including several two-way players and Chimezie Metu, who signed with the team less than two weeks ago.
In Detroit’s last three games, Cunningham is leading the team in total points (101) and shot attempts (78) by a significant margin. Jaden Ivey, who has 33 points on 34 shot attempts in that span, is second in both categories.
More than half of the team’s core rotation on the injury report. Jalen Duren was added to the long list on Monday after losing a tooth in the first quarter, joining Simone Fontecchio, Isaiah Stewart, Ausar Thompson, Marcus Sasser, Taj Gibson, Quentin Grimes and Stanley Umude.
That’s a lot of extra shots available, and someone has to take them.
A LONG YEAR: This might be worst Pistons team ever. 2024 summer demands change.
Cunningham has embraced the challenge. He scored more than 30 points in all three games, including 33 points (on a season-high 33 attempts), eight rebounds and seven assists in Friday’s road win over the Washington Wizards. He followed that with 36 points (13-for-22 shooting) and eight assists in a 110-108 home loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday.
“I feel like I’ve seen a lot of shots that I like,” Cunningham said after Friday’s win. “Seeing that many shots that I like, I'm shooting it. I’m not trying to pass up on them. My game feels good when I'm shooting them. I missed a lot of easy ones tonight, but I would’ve shot them again if I could.”
The Pistons have put the ball in Cunningham’s hands since Day 1. But his late-season stretch is highlighting the growth he’s shown in his first season as a bona fide top option. His efficiency is justifying the volume.
In his last three games, he’s shooting 47.4% overall, 47.1% from 3 (8-for-17) and 90.5% (19-for-21) from the free-throw line. He’s leading the team in assists (17, with eight turnovers) and crashing the boards. His 13 rebounds in the span trail only Detroit’s trio of bigs.
He’s closing out his best season on a strong note. His first half on Monday was one of his best, as he entered halftime with 21 points on 9-for-10 shooting. Cunningham wasn’t able to get a contested midrange jumper to fall at the final buzzer, but he generated open 3-point attempts for Ivey and Metu in the final two minutes. Neither shot went down.
Cunningham also tied the game at 106 late by assisting a transition 3 by Evan Fournier, then adding a 3-pointer and a pair of free throws himself. The final shot didn’t fall, but he generated a significant share of Detroit’s offense.
“Cade made the right plays,” Monty Williams said after the game. “And then down the stretch, I told him ‘You’re going to win us a playoff game in that situation.’ We get a stop, we don’t want to call a timeout and let them adjust the defense. He comes down, he gets the last-second shot. It just didn’t go for him. I was OK with those looks.”
Since returning from a knee injury on Jan. 25 — a 25-game sample size entering Monday’s loss — Cunningham is averaging 21.9 points, 7.8 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 2.9 turnovers while shooting 44.3% overall and 37.4% from 3. He’s delivered his share of big performances this season, but it’s yet to translate to winning.
Williams’ playoff comment was a vote of confidence for not just Cunningham, but the team’s trajectory. With just 13 wins and seven games remaining, the Pistons are fighting to avoid another futility milestone. The 1979-80 Pistons won a franchise-low 16 games. That record is in jeopardy.
Cunningham’s play has improved as the season’s progressed. He has cut down on his mistakes, averaging a full turnover less than the 3.8 he averaged before he strained his knee against the Denver Nuggets on Jan. 7. And his efficiency’s gone up after a cold start to the season.
“He’s our leader,” Tosan Evbuomwan said Monday. “It’s been that way the whole time I’ve been here. He shows it on a nightly basis and he’s only getting better. We trust him all the way. That shot at the end as well, we live with him taking that 100%. He had a great game and more goes into it than that last shot. But he’s a great leader.”
The Pistons, eventually, hope to surround Cunningham with a playoff-caliber roster. He’s done his part this season, improving his game and quelling concerns about his health after his sophomore season was cut short with a shin injury.
This offseason is will be filled with question marks. Cunningham isn't one of them.
“I think being able to have the same mentality no matter what the consequences or the outcome is, is where you wanna be,” Williams said of Cunningham. ”Obviously you wanna make those shots, but I told him I can tell when a guy wants the shot, and he wants those shots. That’s what I’m concerned with. The outcome, we all want the right outcome for us. But I’m also looking for guys who want those shots, and he’s that kind of guy. And that’s why we value him so highly.”
Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him @omarisankofa.
[ MUST LISTEN: Make "The Pistons Pulse" your go-to Detroit Pistons podcast, available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify) or watch live/on demand on YouTube. ]
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Why Detroit Pistons' Cade Cunningham is unstoppable right now
