Cade Cunningham had an up-and-down performance against the Bulls in the Pistons' season-opening loss. He ended up leading the team in scoring at 23 points and had a double-double with 10 assists as well, but there are definitely things that he could improve. The Pistons will only go as far as Cade can take them, so his performance will be vital for team success every game.
Cade's 3-point shooting leap may not be legit
One notable weakness for both Cunningham and the Pistons as a whole in this game was 3-point shooting. As a team, Detroit shot just 29% from deep and Cunningham didn't help the cause by going 1-of-6. In the preseason, Cade shot a scorching 58% from long distance, giving fans hope of true 3-level scoring. Unfortunately, this did not hold up against Chicago and he missed many great looks, including two shots that would've tied the game or given the Pistons the lead in the last minute.
Cade is getting to the free throw line a lot more
A big difference between Cade and other superstars in previous seasons has been his free throw rate. Cade has never gotten to the line a lot despite driving to the rim frequently, possibly due to his preference to finesse his way around contact and possibly due to referees not giving him superstar respect. But now, as a proven All-Star with more aggression, Cade found his way to 10 free throw attempts.
He was aggressive attacking the rim, especially in the fourth quarter as the Pistons mounted a furious comeback. Cade will need to generate free throws to carry the offense in Jaden Ivey's absence, so this is a very promising sign. He didn't shot it especially well from there in this game, finishing 6-of-10 but he's a career 85% shooter from the line. Getting there more often will mean more easy points.
Cade needs to foul less
In a problem common to the entire Pistons roster, Cade had foul trouble on Wednesday night. He fouled out of the game in the final seconds, and had a number of bad ones throughout the night. You can excuse an overambitious reach for the ball in the final seconds, but early blocking fouls for being out of position defensively hurt the team. Not only did these silly fouls give the Bulls easy free throws, but they also forced JB Bickerstaff to be more careful with Cade's minutes.
Cade is an elite playmaker
Cade's passing was definitely a plus in his performance. His 10 assists helped keep the offense afloat, and he had a relatively low 3 turnovers on the negative side. As usual, Cade continues to be especially brilliant setting up bigs like Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart for highlight finishes.
In fact, Cade could have had even more assists if his shooters made their open shots. On multiple occasions, he hit teammates, most notably Duncan Robinson and Caris LeVert, for wide-open threes that they missed. The box score may show an impressive 10 assists, but it doesn't do full justice to Cade's passing brilliance.
The first game of Cade Cunningham's fifth NBA season was a mixed bag. He definitely has things to work on from this season opener, but also showed clear signs of growth and continued excellence in other areas. He's the catalyst of the young Pistons and will need to perform better for the team to find success going forward.