Cade Cunningham receives national recognition with latest award

In November, he averaged 29 points, six rebounds, and nine assists. His 9.3 assists per game currently lead the Eastern Conference and trail only Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić. If that pace holds, it would be the highest assist mark by a Piston since Isiah Thomas averaged 10 per game during the 1986–87 season.

Cunningham has been the anchor, engine, and tone-setter for this Pistons team all year.

Through his first 18 games this season, Cunningham has averaged 28 points, six rebounds, and nine assists—a level of production matched only by the Lakers’ Luka Dončić and Denver’s Nikola Jokić. 

But beyond the night-to-night consistency, he’s been at his best when it matters most. Cunningham ranks fourth in fourth-quarter scoring at 9.9 points per game and currently leads the NBA in total fourth-quarter points, repeatedly delivering in winning moments for a Pistons team chasing its own slice of history.

Cade Cunningham’s 46-point, 12-rebound, 11-assist, and five-steal performance in the Pistons’ win over the Wizards was a textbook example of his ability to put on the cape when his team needed it most. The Pistons were without center Isaiah Stewart, starting forwards Tobias Harris and Ausar Thompson, and Jaden Ivey, who hadn’t played up to that point.

Yet, even off a back-to-back and after a hard collision that left him clutching his hip and appearing likely to miss the rest of the game, Cunningham returned to the court and carried his team to another victory.

This season has been a success for Cunningham, who at the start of the year, when discussing the possibility of being a league MVP, emphasized that it begins with winning and getting the Pistons to the top, with individual accolades following naturally.

Just one full month into the season, Cunningham’s Player of the Month award seems like a strong first step on the path toward what he—and the rest of the Detroit faithful—have been hoping for.