Behind a great season from Cade Cunningham, the Detroit Pistons have become one of the most talked about teams in the NBA. As they continue their massive turnaround, the rising star made a positive comment about the team’s mentality.
Last season was unforgettable for the Pistons, finishing with the worst record in the NBA. Their struggles were headlined by a historically long streak of 28 consecutive losses. However, Detroit looks like a completely different team entering 2025.
On Wednesday night, the Pistons defeated the Brooklyn Nets to move to 19-18 on the season. That ended up being a monumental victory for them, as it marked the first time they went over .500 in January in seven years.
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While talking about the Pistons’ success, Cade Cunningham made it clear that what they have accomplished so far is not enough. The group is still locked in mentally as they continue to rack up wins.
“It feels good,” Cunningham said. The Athletic. “We’re still hungry though, man. “We are not satisfied.”
The former number one pick has been one of the best shooting guards in the NBA this year, entering the conversation to be an All-Star. On the season, Cunningham is averaging 24.0 points, 6.6 rebounds and 9.3 assists.
In addition to being above .500, the Pistons are knocking on the door of ending their playoff drought. They sit in eighth place, but are just half a game away from the coveted sixth spot.
Kendrick Perkins backs Cade Cunningham’s All-Star case
As Cade Cunningham continues to dazzle for the Detroit Pistons, his All-Star case has been slowly strengthening. After his dominant outing over the weekend, one former NBA champion said the young point guard deserves a nod this year.
On Saturday night, the Pistons faced the Minnesota Timberwolves. It would end up being a matchup between a pair of former top picks, and Cunningham and Anthony Edwards had big nights. Despite the Timberwolves star’s career-high 53 points, it was the Pistons who took the win.
A big reason the Pistons were able to ruin Edwards’ night was the play of Cade Cunningham. He did it all for Detroit, finishing with a stat line of 40 points, six rebounds and nine assists.
NBA fans were abuzz on social media after this matchup, and Kendrick Perkins even got into the picture. The former Boston Celtics big man took to X (formerly Twitter) to declare that Cunningham should be an All-Star.
Cunningham has plenty of point guards to compete with in the Eastern Conference when it comes to an All-Star berth. However, given his performance so far, he has a chance to break through or be one of this year’s biggest snubs.
Edited by Kevin McCormick.