Feb 12, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) and forward Ausar Thompson (9) chat against the Chicago Bulls during the second half at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images Matt Marton-Imagn Images

Cade Cunningham Receives High Praise From Pistons Teammate

Originally posted on Detroit Pistons on SI
By Kevin McCormick | Last updated Sep 7, 2025 2:23 PM ET

In the midst of their historic turnaround, the Detroit Pistons found themselves with the league's biggest breakout star last season. As Cade Cunningham continues to cement himself as a premier talent, one of his teammates raved about his vast range of skills.

Four years removed from being drafted No. 1 overall, Cunningham blossomed into the player the Pistons hoped he'd become. He showcased his strong all-around play on a nightly basis, posting career-highs across the board in the regular season. More importantly, Cunningham's developmental leap resulted in the Pistons becoming a more competitive team overall.

En route to securing All-Star and All-NBA nominations for the first time, Cunningham averaged 26.1 PPG. 6.1 RPG, and 9.1 APG across 70 appearances. The Pistons guard maintained this high level of play in the postseason, proving he's capable of leading the charge for Detroit as they attempt to build a title contender.

Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Earlier this week, Pistons forward Ausar Thompson was a guest on the Young Man and The Three podcast with his twin brother, Amen. During the interview, the former No. 3 pick opened up about Cunningham and how versatile a player he is.

Thompson then reflected on playing one-on-one with Cunningham during his ramp-up to return from a blood clot diagnosis. He admitted to having trouble slowing down the Pistons star before diving into how hard of a player he is to defend.

"He is so strong, that's what people don't understand," Thompson said of Cunningham. "It's like if you stop him with his face forward, he can just get to something else. He has so many things he can do so, there's not really one way to stop him and you have to study him and learn like every way to stop him. I don't think you can."

Ausar Thompson Doesn’t Think Anyone Can Guard Cade Cunningham

-via @OldManAndThree #DetroitBasketball pic.twitter.com/SLbvD20eZL
— Downtown Deuce (@DowntownDeuce) September 5, 2025

A lot of teams learned the hard way last season how hard it is to limit Cunningham's impact on a gay. Among the groups he had some of his most success against was Amen and the Houston Rockets. In their two matchups, Cunningham averaged 29.0 PPG, 8.5 RPG, and 8.0 APG on 51.2% shooting.

Coming off such an impressive campaign in 2025, Cunningham will now attempt to build off it in hopes of cementing himself as a superstar in the NBA.

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

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