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Respect throughout the NBA continues to rise for the Detroit Pistons and All-Star point guard Cade Cunningham. The Athletic conducted an anonymous poll with 158 players to gauge their opinions on their contemporaries throughout the league. One of the biggest honors was Cunningham's selection as the most underrated player in the NBA.
There were 136 players who voted on the topic, and the 6-foot-7 point guard from Detroit made the top of the list with 8.8% of the vote. Other players like Derrick White, Norman Powell, and Austin Reaves were honored as top selections as well.
With his breakout play this season, Cunningham has been garnering major attention throughout the NBA. He posted career highs through 70 regular-season games, averaging 26.1 points, 9.1 assists, and 6.1 rebounds per game. That elite-level production has earned him his first selection as an NBA All-Star, all-NBA consideration, and the Pistons' first playoff appearance since 2019.
Cunningham has been placed in the NBA spotlight since becoming the No. 1 selection in the 2021 NBA Draft. His blossoming play and leadership have verified that pick made that pick by the Pistons.
This breakout season for Cunningham is coming under the teaching of his third career head coach in J.B. Bickerstaff. The Pistons hired Bickerstaff this offseason after dismissing Monty Williams for a disastrous 2023-24 season. Williams' lone season as Detroit's head coach featured lineups with bad floor spacing and limited cohesiveness.
That struggle led the Pistons to the NBA's worst record last season and the infamous record of 28-straight losses.
The hiring of Bickerstaff as head coach and Trajan Langdon as President of Basketball Operations has aided the winning development for Cunningham. Langdon acquired key veterans for the Pistons to help with spacing, shooting, and leadership. Bickerstaff has maximized the pieces provided and it has brought out the best version of Cunningham.
Bickerstaff has been an uplifting advocate of Cunningham's skillset while most of the NBA world is catching on. His level of support and optimism has created a special connection between the two that could anchor Detroit's success for years to come.
“This is Cade being Cade, this is what he's done all year long. This is why he's an All-NBA player, because he has the ability in games like this to put on performances like this,” Bickerstaff expressed. “I'm so appreciative of the way he goes about it because it's not just about him. He does what he has to do for the team to win. If he feels momentum shifting, his teammates get him the ball. He has the ability to get to his spot, and he punishes people. That's demoralizing the way he can score in the paint. He understands not only physically, but mentally,y how he impacts the game and can turn the tide for us.”
One of the most impressive aspects of Cunningham's success is his ability to thrive with limited resources around him. He has never played with another All-Star on the roster throughout his four-year career.
This season also verifies that Cunningham has ascended while his backcourt mate, Jaden Ivey, has been out with a leg injury since January. That has created extra defensive attention to Cunningham, but he continues to flourish as the Pistons' primary scoring option and playmaker.
That notoriety and attention continue to soar as the Pistons find themselves tied 1-1 in their first-round playoff series against the New York Knicks. Cunningham scored 33 points while leading the Pistons to their first playoff victory since 2008. That admiration can reach new levels if the Pistons manage to pull off this upset as the Eastern Conference sixth seed.
