Cade Cunningham is a top rising star in the NBA right now. He’s slated to compete for the title of best point guard in the entire league within a few years and now national media is taking notice. In the most recent episode of the Zach Lowe show, host Zach Lowe penciled in Cunningham as a selection on his mock 2028 Team USA Olympic team.
Cade Cunningham: Fit for the International Game
Lowe selected Cade towards the end of his team over other players like Jalen Brunson, and a potential additional big. He cited Cade’s versatility and general greatness as his primary motivations.
Cade Cunningham is a great fit for Team USA due to his size and extremely complete game. He can thrive both on and off the ball and play with a variety of different teammates due to his high skill and basketball IQ.
Although Cade hasn’t gotten too much opportunity to show his off-ball shooting with the Pistons, he has thrived when spotting up or coming off screens. On Team USA he could likely slot into an off ball role and find success if need be, similar to Devin Booker in the 2024 Olympics.
Of course, Cade can also be great with the ball in his hands, especially with superior teammates on team USA. He’s already one of the top passers in the league and will only improve as his processing speed and recognition increase.
Cade’s size and timing as a help defender also make him more of a complete two way player than many other point cards. On the international stage, a small guard such as Jalen Brunson can get exposed by other teams as a defensive liability, but Cade is more likely to hold up his own.
It’s also worth noting that Cade does have prior experience with Team USA basketball. In 2023, he headlined the Select Team full of young players which challenged the main Team USA roster prior to the FIBA World Cup. He impressed in Team USA training camp as the leader of the Select Team and even played the “Luka Dončić” role in preparation for Slovenia.
If he were to make the Olympic team, Cade would be the first Piston on Team USA since - surprisingly - Jerami Grant in 2021. Prior to that, Tayshaun Prince also represented Detroit well on the legendary 2008 “Redeem Team” which was just inducted into the Hall of Fame.
In 2028, Cade could very well be the outright best point guard in the world. Even if he’s not necessarily considered superior to some of his peers, he will certainly be one of the most complete guards in the NBA and on team USA. At that point, the biggest stars of last year‘s Olympic team will likely be retired (at least from international competition) and it’ll be time for Cade and his generation to take over.