The Detroit Pistons finally had some representation during the mid-season All-Star break. It’s been years since that was the case, as Blake Griffin was Detroit’s last participant.
Detroit had both Cade Cunningham and Ausar Thompson repping the Motor City, in the 3-point contest, All-Star game and Rising Stars game, respectively. So now that All-Star break is behind us, let’s take a look at both their performances and how they did.
Cade Cunningham: B
Cade being named to his first All-Star game this year was a decently lofty goal to start the season, but one that a ton of people predicted. As the season progressed, it became more of a question if Cade would be a starter rather than if he would make it. He would eventually be named to team Kenny Smith’s’ team of young all-stars and played well during his time to shine.
Because of the new format of the All-Star games, Cade was limited to just a few minutes. In that time, however, he finished with 5 points, 1 assist (a great lob to Evan Mobley), and shot 2-3 from the field. But most importantly, Cade connected on his first three-point attempt and had an emphatic dunk over the NBA’s newest superstar, Victor Wembanyama.
In addition to the All-Star game itself, Cade participated in the 3-point contest. Some, myself included, were taken aback that it was Cade and not the best 3-point shooter in the league, Malik Beasley, partaking.
Cade has made strides in his three-point shooting, but still had the lowest average of the contestants. As such, Cade was knocked out of the contest in just the first round by Jalen Brunson, 16-18, which obviously was an early exit, but the representation was worth it.
Based on just his All-Star game performance, Cade gets a B+. But when you factor in his less than ideal 3-point contest, which is a C, he averages out to a B.
Ausar Thompson: C
Ausar Thompson also got the call to partake in the All-Star events. Both him and his brother played in the Rising Stars game. Ausar was technically an alternative and was able to play thanks to injuries to Dereck Lively and Brandon Miller, but him not being included was a snub in the first place.
Watching Ausar and Amen play was a ton of fun, and honestly a good call by the league to draft them together. Admittedly, Amen likely deserves the better grade, finishing with 10 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists but Ausar provided a number of highlights too.
Detroit’s Thompson twin finished the game with 5 points, 1 rebound and 2 assists in 10 minutes of play. Nothing crazy, but not too shabby. His grade did take a slight hit due to him missing a lob to his brother that would have gotten everyone on their feet, as well as missing four consecutive free-throws when his team led 37-35 in a race to 40.