The Detroit Pistons have had the same question lingering over them for five seasons, which is when are they going to get Cade Cunningham a second star?
Cunningham is one of the frontrunners for MVP and should arguably be given extra considering given that his team is atop the Eastern Conference, and he’s the only MVP candidate who doesn’t have a clear second star on the roster.
Cade was sixth in the most recent KIA MVP Ladder and every guy in front of him has a second star flanking them (at least), yet Cunningham has his team ahead of all but OKC and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the standings.
The Pistons have had players step up this season, but you might get five different answers to the question of who their second-best player is. Jalen Duren has certainly looked the part at times and may do enough to earn his first All-Star berth this season, but he’s still not a guy you can turn to for a bucket in a pinch.
The Pistons have been beating teams with a combination of elite defense and paint domination, but they still lack that secondary guy, so either someone has to step up, or they need to go get another player, as this issue is going to show up in the playoffs.
Cade Cunningham has a target on his back
Cunningham has been getting doubled and trapped all season, which is nothing new, as the Knicks did it in last year’s playoffs and just dared anyone else to beat them.
Cade has shown he can handle it, but his job would be much easier if they had another guy who could consistently carry the scoring load. They’ve had different players step up at different times with big games, everyone from Duncan Robinson to Daniss Jenkins to Javonte Green, but you hardly want to rely on that happening in the playoffs.
We’ve been talking about this since last season, but Jaden Ivey is still the X Factor here, as he could step up and be that guy, but the results after 20 games aren’t promising, as he’s still not moving like he once did and is trying to figure out his place in the rotation.
Trajan Langdon has shown a reluctance to go all-in at the trade deadline and that is the prudent move, as his team has a ton of upside and is already leading the conference, but at some point, this issue will need to be addressed if the Pistons want to be true title contenders.
My guess is that we’ll see minor moves at the trade deadline with Langdon wanting more information and data before making a splashy move.
But we are in year five of Cade now and he still doesn't have a clear second star, which is putting a hefty burden on him to carry the offense.