Since Cade Cunningham’s well-documented “slow start,” it feels as though the Detroit Piston rookie’s impact and consistency have grown by leaps and bounds. Similar to his counterpart Jerami Grant (whose play I recently wrote about), Cunningham seems to have found his stride since the NBA’s annual All Star Break in February.
Upon returning from a successful weekend in Cleveland where Cunningham was awarded the Rising Stars MVP, the No. 1 overall selection is averaging 22.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 6.9 assists while shooting an impressive 46.4% from the field. Most importantly though, Cunningham’s All Star-like numbers have translated to Detroit’s most competitive stretch of basketball since their last playoff appearance in 2019.