Detroit Pistons GM Praises Cade Cunningham's Breakout Campaign

Fresh off having the NBA's worst record the season prior, many wondered if Trajan Langdon would make big changes to the Detroit Pistons upon taking over in the front office. Instead of shaking things up within the young core, he opted to bring in pieces that could elevate their game.

Langdon had a slew of former lottery picks to work with the second he took the job, most notably former No. 1 pick Cade Cunningham. Based on what he had seen, he felt bringing in veteran leadership and outside shooting made more sense than parting with any young talent. This proved to be the right choice, as his minor tweaks drastically elevated the group.

Having more complementary pieces around them, multiple players took a step forward in their development. The primary one to do so was Cunningham, who went on to put together a breakout campaign in 2025. Along with getting the first All-Star nod of his career, his strong all-around play helped carry the Pistons to the postseason for the first time since 2019.

On Wednesday morning, Langdon addressed the media after what should be viewed as an extremely successful 2025 campaign for the Pistons. Among the things to come up in his press conference was Cunningham and his strong play this season. Langdon had nothing but great things to say about the star guard, zeroing in on how his heightened production had a direct impact on winning.

"He had an incredible year. Stats wise he was fantastic, he got better," Langdon told reporters. "He was the driver of winning for us this year. That’s the biggest and hardest step to take, turning your stats into being meaningful and driving winning."