The Detroit Pistons are back. They have managed to turn things all the way around from a ghastly 14-win season, and they appear to be well on their way towards earning their first playoff berth since the 2018-19 season. On Monday night, they moved to 32-26 on the season, earning their seventh consecutive victory with a 106-97 win over the Los Angeles Clippers. As usual, Cade Cunningham was at the center of the Pistons’ winning efforts, as he notched 32 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists to lead the way for the resurgent franchise.
Cunningham has been so good, especially as of late, that he might well be on his way to an All-NBA nod. His latest outing bumped his numbers on the year to 25.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 9.5 assists, making him a legitimate superstar who, while in the middle of his ascent atop the league’s totem pole, is lifting his team with him.
It’s getting to the point where the whole league is taking notice of what Cunningham is doing, with Clippers star James Harden being the latest to have his head turned by how the Pistons star is performing.
“He’s finally healthy, finally has some pieces he can work with. Shooting, bigs, defenders, and the result of that is he’s playing like one of the best players in the league,” Harden told reporters following the Pistons’ win, via Law Murray of The Athletic. “Kudos to him, he’s done an unbelievable job this year and he’s gonna continue to get better.”
James Harden postgame in Detroit
Said that he and T Lue are both competitors trying to win, and minutes is a game-by-game conversation
Praised Cade Cunningham for playing like “one of the best players in this league”
And of course, the need to win before getting back home pic.twitter.com/3Qw2oAIVr7
— Law Murray
(@LawMurrayTheNU) February 25, 2025
Cunningham endured a few rough patches in the first two years of his career, with injury problems getting in the way of his emergence as one of the best young players in the league. His third season was then marred by the Pistons’ incompetence that led to some wholesale changes. But now that everything is stable around him, he’s only going to get better from here.
Cade Cunningham and the Pistons rise from the ashes of the NBA
The Pistons have been the league’s biggest feel-good story this season. It’s not too often that a team goes from setting one of the worst seasons of all-time with a grand total of 14 wins to making the playoffs, but that’s exactly where the Pistons are headed.
Cade Cunningham is blossoming into an unstoppable force, and the Pistons have one of the brightest outlooks among all the teams in the NBA. They have plenty of cap space and assets, allowing them the flexibility to go whatever direction they choose when it comes to building a contending unit around their emergent superstar.
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