I woke up today feeling better about the Detroit Pistons than I have in years.
They are .500 in January, 9-3 over the last month, have won four straight and are doing it with a likable young team and coach that is pushing all the right buttons.
They aren’t carrying any bad money, have myriad ways to improve the roster and have a seemingly competent front office guiding the process. Things are finally looking up in Detroit.
Cade Cunningham has been a huge part of the improvement and his ascension into stardom is arguably the biggest single factor in how the Pistons went from historically bad to a team in the playoff hunt in just one season.
The Pistons have been so bad over most of Cunningham’s career that he didn’t get much individual attention even though he has always put up numbers.
But as the wins pile up, people are figuring out what most Pistons fans already knew: Cade Cunningham is a star and a winning player if you just put a decent cast around him.
Cunningham has plenty of All-Star buzz (go vote for him here) and is also getting attention for an NBA postseason award in gambling circles.
NBA Most Improved Player odds: Cade Cunningham
People are noticing what the Pistons are doing, and realize Cunningham is a big reason why. He’s averaging 24.4 points, 9.5 assists and 6.7 rebounds per game on 45/37 shooting splits, all the best of his career.
He’s controlling games, playing unselfishly while taking and making the most 3-pointers of his career.
Cunningham has also been very good defensively, getting just under a block and steal per game and taking on the challenge of defending big-time scorers on the perimeter.
All of this coupled with a team that is winning has made Cunningham the current frontrunner for Most Improved Player according to FanDuel.
Cade is at +200, with Jalen Johnson and Tyler Herro at +400 behind him. Evan Mobley (+1000), Norman Powell (+1000) and Dyson Daniels (+1500) round out the top six.
The Pistons are riding high right now but can’t get too far ahead of themselves. There is still a ton of season left to play and no one is going to hang a banner for being .500 in January.
But his individual improvement, along with the improvement of the team, has Cunningham in the spotlight, one that should end in his first All-Star appearance, hopefully his first playoff appearance and his name called for some individual awards at the end of the season.