The Detroit Pistons have not been a serious title contender ever since the 2007-08 season. The win-loss column over the past few years has been especially brutal on what had been such a successful franchise, but with exciting guards such as Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey in town, the foundations for the next great Pistons team are here.
In fact, Pistons fans will be hyped up after knowing just how well Cunningham and Ivey has gotten together thus far, which should only bode well for the franchise's ambitions of returning to its former glory.
According to Mirin Fader of The Ringer, Cade Cunningham has taken Jaden Ivey under his wing, in hopes of creating a fruitful partnership that'll last for years to come. He reassured the 20-year old rookie that he should just be confident in his own skin and try not to force the issue as he transitions to the NBA.
“Everything you were doing in college, the player you are today, is going to be just fine,” Cunningham told Ivey. “It’s going to translate.”
And Ivey has been receptive to Cunningham's mentorship, even if the 2021 first overall pick is just one year his senior. It might be due to the fact that the two are operating on the same mental wavelength, and thus have had a greater understanding of how to connect with each other on a deeper level.
“I feel that brotherly love,” Ivey said. “I feel like me and Cade kind of have similar minds.”
Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey's burgeoning relationship seems to be emblematic of the impressive team chemistry the Pistons have in their team at the moment, especially in light of the Golden State Warriors' internal issues. Cunningham, in particular, is appreciative of the fact that he could call his teammates brothers and that he feels at home in Detroit.
“You can really put any group together out on the court, and I feel like it’ll be five guys that mess with each other off the court, and that are really cool and care about each other. You don’t find that all the time,” Cunningham added.
Still, Cunningham and Ivey have to be prepared to remain patient, as the Pistons appear likelier to finish at the bottom of the standings than above it. But if they continue their trajectory of sharpening each other, the Pistons could, sooner than later, get back to where they belong: as one of the best and grittiest teams in the NBA.