In his annual column, The Athletic's James L. Edwards III broaches an interesting topic just after his opening paragraphs, listing 2021 No. 1 pick Cade Cunningham as the only untouchable player on the Detroit Pistons roster.
For our new NBA fans, an untouchable player means an individual that — though they could always find themselves included in some type of 2K-level, blockbuster, or pipe dream type trade — is not unlikely to be moved under any circumstance. These are the potential All-Star, superstars and possible Hall of Fame-caliber pieces that franchises wait years, even decades to acquire. As a result, their teams should resist including them in the vast majority of trade proposals that may eventually crop up.
To that point, Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo and Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry are probably the most untouchable players in the league right now. Though 38 years old, Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James may be on that list as well.
Unsurprising with 10 NBA MVP awards and 10 NBA championships between them.
That being said, what makes Cunningham so special that the Pistons may see him as their keystone, central to their franchise goals? In essence, why are Pistons general manager Troy Weaver and his colleagues so confident in his ability?
Superstar potential
The simplest answer for why the Detroit Pistons would label Cade Cunningham as an untouchable player is that he has legitimate superstar potential.
Again, superstar is one of those NBA buzzwords that's hard to define without standardized criteria but looking at the bona fide superstars around the league, we can surmise a couple of readily identifiable characteristics:
1. All-Star level production
2. Team leader in the locker room or on the court
3. High level of playoff success
4. High popularity among NBA fraternity or fan bases
When looking at the first marker, Cunningham is already on the verge of that particular type of greatness, averaging 19.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game last season. While he hasn't been exploding as a volume scorer, he can consistently notch 20+ points while operating as the main facilitator as well.
To that point though, with Cunningham now fully healthy after dealing with shin injuries for multiple years, his legs may finally get the lift he needs to increase his so far substandard career 3-point percentage (30.9). This could be particularly true with both Jaden Ivey and Ausar Thompson on the roster, as neither have what you would call a pure jumper but have a penchant for playmaking, allowing Cunningham to play more off-the-ball.
As the Pistons continue to improve their talent his assist numbers should go up as well. The addition of an award-winning head coach in Monty Williams taking over when he's fresh off of a stint coaching future Hall of Fame floor general Chris Paul can't be understated either.
Seen and unseen
Moving on, there are no questions about his leadership given his mature mindset and stoic demeanor, with Cade Cunningham inspiring memories of former Detroit Pistons greats Isiah Thomas and Chauncey Billups in that sense.
If his steady attitude permeates the Pistons' young ranks, their approach and resolve could be quite handy down the line. This might turn out to be particularly true in the NBA Playoffs, a time of the year that could be more suited to Cunningham's style as the game is played slower and more methodically in the postseason.
His playoff success, whether it was with Detroit or another franchise, will ultimately be dependent on far more than what he can do alone. After all, no player has ever suited up 1-on-5 and won an NBA title.
Nonetheless, the perception of his being untouchable will lead to sizable expectations; he will have to be the most important player on the floor for the Pistons in the postseason, even if it's not every game. The thing is, based on his skillset, he most likely will be.
All of these aforementioned factors will impact his popularity in the end though. Though popularity is important for the simple name recognition and endorsement opportunities that come along with it, his popularity could also affect the awards or accolades he receives due to the significance of media and fan voting.
Complete player
To address the idea of Cade Cunningham being the Detroit Pistons' most important player, both in the regular season and the playoffs, one has to readily acknowledge the rarity of a complete player in today's NBA.
Though the semi-positionless era has been the byproduct of team's desires to have as many complete players on the floor as possible, most — if not all players — lack something. Even Cunningham, as he doesn't have quite as much explosiveness as one would like to see from a point guard.
Nonetheless, at 6-foot-6 and 220 pounds, Cunningham is an athletic, astute and balanced floor general with great size for his position. He can break his man down off the dribble, score from all three levels, make all the right passes and defend at a high-level as well.
Though Hall of Fame forward Grant Hill was a little bigger at 6-foot-8, in Cunningham the Pistons arguably have their most complete player since Detroit took Hill with the third overall pick in the 1994 NBA Draft.
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