Apr 19, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) bring the ball up court in Game One of the First Round of the NBA Playoffs against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Cade Cunningham Predicted to Remain Atop Pistons Hierarchy

Originally posted on Detroit Pistons on SI
By Kevin McCormick | Last updated Sep 11, 2025 2:53 PM ET

When the Detroit Pistons won the draft lottery in 2021, the objective was simple. Secure a prospect who could be the focal point of their rebuild and be a pillar for the franchise. Based on what we saw last season, it appears they did just that.

In the early stages of his NBA career, Cade Cunningham showed a lot of promise as a high-level point guard. However, injury caused him to essentially lose one year of his development. After having a healthy offseason to work on his craft last summer, he was able to make up ground and then some.

Every year, the NBA sees new young talent make "the leap" towards stardom. In 2025, Cunningham was among the most notable names to do so. He led the Pistons' historic turnaround by posting career-highs across the board and landing on an All-NBA team.

The Pistons guard blossomed into one of the league's top all-around players, averaging 26.1 PPG, 6.1 RPG, and 9.1 APG in the regular season. Amid this ascension, Cunningham looks ready to carry the torch for Detroit for years to come.

Eric Canha-Imagn Images

In these final weeks of the offseason, Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report gave his thoughts on future projections. He recently broke down who he believes is going to be each team's top player in three year's time.

As expected, Cunningham was chosen when discussing the Pistons.

Last season, the former No. 1 pick arrived as an All-Star, All-NBA third-teamer and seventh-place finisher in MVP voting as he led the Detroit Pistons to 44 wins—tied for the franchise's highest total since 2008.

It's possible the progress of Detroit's other young pieces will allow Cunningham to throttle back his scoring. But even in that scenario, we should expect an uptick in assist rate and a decline in turnovers as Cunningham utilizes improved spacing and supplementary scoring around him.

Seeing that in three years Cunningham will just be entering his prime, it's hard not to believe he'll still be the Pistons' top talent. Given what he showed last year, the franchise will continue building out around him for the foreseeable future. Even if Trajan Langdon makes a big chance via trade or free agency, it'll likely be for someone who can elevate Cunningham, not overshadow him.

This article first appeared on Detroit Pistons on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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