Cade Cunningham's breakout season is worthy of an All-Star nod

When the Detroit Pistons drafted Cade Cunningham first overall in the 2021 NBA Draft, they had high hopes that the Oklahoma State product would one day blossom into a superstar. 

After years of being a doormat in the Eastern Conference, the Pistons needed a franchise superstar to catapult them back into relevancy. 

"The way the city carries itself, the grit, all that stuff, it hits home for me. It’s been a lot of tough times, a lot of bad basketball. I want to be a part of changing that," Cunningham told Yahoo Sports reporter Vincent Goodwill.

Less than four years later, the team's dream has come to fruition, as Cunningham is enjoying a breakout season in Detroit. 

Cunningham, 23, has refined nearly every facet of his game and looks much more fluid in his fourth professional season. His efficiency as a scorer and playmaker has been notable and is a huge reason the Pistons are in the playoff hunt. 

This season, the athletic combo guard is averaging 24.5 points, 9.4 assists and 6.6 rebounds, all career-high marks. Additionally, Cunningham has scored 20+ points in 28 games this season, which is tied for the fourth-most such games in the league. For comparison, he did so 42 times total last season.

"He's a good player," Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. "He's one of the guys you talk about building around, and there's not many of those guys in this league. And it's not just a basketball thing, I think that's what I'm most impressed about. It's him as a person and how he carries his teammates, his relationships with his teammates, how he chooses to lead, all those things stand out to me."

Not only does Bickerstaff view Cunningham as a franchise cornerstone, but he believes that the former No. 1 pick should be an All-Star this season.

"Anytime you get acknowledged like that, I think it’s a huge deal. Most of it is that he deserves it, I think that’s the easy part for me," Bickerstaff said. "The work that he’s put in, the way that he’s helped this team in so many different ways. Not just the numbers that you see, but how he makes his teammates better every day."

NBA fans around the globe seem to agree with Bickerstaff's All-Star endorsement of Cunningham. Despite playing for a small market team, Cunningham ranks in the top 10 in backcourt All-Star votes.