Is Cade Cunningham already in the top-5 point guards in Pistons’ history?
The Detroit Pistons have showcased hall of fame talent at all positions, none more than at point guard, and Cade Cunningham hopes to join them.
With players like Dave Bing, and Finals MVP winner Chauncey Billups, the list of great Pistons’ point guards is not easy to crack. There have been several guards who made their mark in the NBA while representing the city of Detroit.
This list will be based entirely on the player’s contribution during their Pistons’ career. So players who may have had success elsewhere won’t make the cut. This is to highlight their achievements, accomplishments, and contributions to the Pistons organization.
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Without further ado, here are the top-5 point guards in Pistons’ team history.
Cade Cunningham cracks the top-5 point guards in Pistons’ history
No. 5 – Cade Cunningham
Some may feel it’s way too early for this, but Cade Cunningham has made the cut and deservingly so. As a rookie, he set several records for the franchise in terms of combined points, assists and rebounds, while demonstrating the demeanor of a seasoned veteran.
He’s a very cerebral player who can torch a defense. NBA superstars have given high praise to Cade early on in his young career. After a 130-123 win over the Detroit Pistons Nets’ star Kevin Durant had this to say.
"When you got a 6-7 PG, S--T, it's a good start....somebody that can wreck a whole defensive game plan....They got length and toughness down the line....I can see this team being a force to be reckoned with in the future."
— DaveEarly (@DavidEarly) March 30, 2022
-Kevin Durant on Cade Cunningham, #Pistons pic.twitter.com/ePMRpbbgn5
He said this following Cade’s career high 34-point game in which he scored 29 in the second half. Watching him play it’s hard to imagine he’s a first year player with only 63 games under his belt.
Cade Cunningham’s record-breaking rookie season
It’s not the praise that warranted a place on this illustrious list, it’s his versatile skill set. He’s one of only 10 rookies to average over 17/5/5 in NBA history. Other players on the list include Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Magic Johnson, and Luka Doncic to name a few.
In his rookie season Cade set scoring records for the franchise. He scored 20 or more points in seven consecutive games, tying him with Kelly Tripucka who set the mark in the 1982 season. He’s scored 20+ points in twenty-five of his sixty-three games played proving to be a valuable scoring threat at the point guard position.
He also managed to record the most triple doubles as a rookie with two, doubling Grant Hill’s previous record from over twenty-five years ago. He’s currently seventh all time on the franchise’s triple doubles list, and could be second within his first 100 games.
Cade’s showcasing versatility, patience, and the fundamentals of Tim Duncan in his rookie season. He has more 25/5/5 games than all other rookies combined in the best since draft since 2004. He could be the first Pistons player to win rookie of the year since Grant Hill.
Cade Cunningham has the potential to be one of the greatest players in Pistons’ history and has already done enough in a small sample size to be the 5th-best point guard the team has ever had.