The most important question hanging over the Detroit Pistons is whether they have a star on the roster.
They have one player getting paid like one, as Cade Cunningham signed a max extension over the summer that makes him one of the building blocks of the Pistons payroll.
That contract was based largely on hope, as Cunningham has only played 138 games in three seasons, and even though he has been impressive at times, the team has been horrible. He had scant little help, which isn’t on him, but with an improved roster around him, there will be more pressure on Cade Cuningham to emerge as a star this season.
I don’t think there’s any doubt Cunningham is and will be a good player, but this is the season he has to prove he is “that” guy, the one the franchise can build around, who can be the best player on a good team. Here’s what he has to do.
Cade Cunningham has to win
Cunningham has yet to play a meaningful game of basketball in the NBA, as his teams have always been among the worst in the league and have never sniffed the playoffs.
The best players can win X number of games even with a bad roster around them, and to be fair, Cunningham’s rosters have been nothing short of atrocious. But at some point, the best players will their teams to victory, take over in key moments or just have huge nights where they put the team on their back.
This isn’t all on him, but if the Pistons fail to win 30+ games this season, we have to start asking questions about whether they have their #1 guy.
Cade Cunningham has to play
Cunningham has yet to play 65 games in a season and that has to change if he is to be viewed as the central piece of their rebuild.
He finally got his shin sorted, so this was his first fully healthy offseason, which we will hopefully see in the form of better conditioning and more games played. Injuries happen and they are not under a player’s control, but we know there are players who are more prone to them for one reason or another and we have to hope Cade Cunningham isn’t one of them.
Cade Cunningham has to improve...everything
Cade has all of the skills to be a very good 2-way player given his size and basketball IQ, but he is not yet great at anything.
He needs to be a more impactful defender, and has the tools to be, as we saw when he locked down Devin Booker in the last game and then stuffed him for a block. He should have an easier time of it with better perimeter defenders around him, and he has the smarts to take advantage by playing solid team defense, holding his ground, occasionally flashing into the passing lane for steals and providing weakside shot-blocking.
He needs to cut down the turnovers, especially those where he over-dribbles into trouble instead of keeping it moving. He has to stop the infuriating passes where he jumps before he knows what he wants to do with the ball and ends up throwing it into traffic.
He has to get better around the rim. He gets there a lot but was among the worst in the league at finishing under five feet last season. His mid-range is already deadly, and I have no concerns about his 3-point shooting, so if Cunningham starts finishing at a higher rate around the rim, he will be a true 3-level scorer.
The Pistons are locked into Cunningham for the next five seasons at a max rate and they will feel a lot better about that decision if he plays a full season and emerges as an All-Star on a competitive team.