There were plenty of reasons for the Detroit Pistons’ renaissance last season, but none bigger than Cade Cunningham’s ascent to an All-NBA level.
Pistons fans already knew they had something special in Cade, but last season quieted even his biggest doubters as he led Detroit to the playoffs on his way to an All-NBA selection.
He also stepped into a more vocal and visible leadership role, which JB Bickerstaff spoke about on a recent episode of the Chris Vernon Show. Coach Bickerstaff spoke about Cunningham’s special leadership qualities, how he holds teammates accountable, and how he can be great without taking anything away from them. You can watch the entire interview here.
He’s preaching to the choir, but it’s good to hear.
He also talked about what Cade needs to do to take the next step, part of which is already done.
What’s next for Cade Cunningham?
The Pistons already have one thing they need to take the next step as a team, which is experience. They went toe-to-toe with a very good veteran team in Madison Square Garden and didn't back down an inch.
They certainly weren’t perfect, and as with all young teams, couldn’t close out some winnable games, but they were right there. If that no-call on THJ in the corner.... Never mind.
The young Pistons got a taste of the playoffs in a tough atmosphere, took a tough loss and will be better for it next time, that includes Cade Cunningham.
Cade’s 3-point shot abandoned him in the playoffs, which is something I’m sure he’ll be thinking about this summer along with a couple of missed shots late in games.
That often comes down to conditioning, an area where Cunningham was much improved last season, playing big minutes in 70 games as well as in the playoffs.
The next step for Cade will be to keep improving upon that conditioning so that he can handle the rigors of a full season and still have his legs for those shots in the playoffs.
It will also help if his teammates can take some of his burden, as Cunningham was facing double and triple teams all playoffs and the Pistons weren’t able to exploit it enough.
Getting a hungry Jaden Ivey back should help, as well as further improvement from Ausar Thompson and Jalen Duren, two guys who had solid performances in their first playoff appearances.
It would also be nice to see another defensive jump from Cunningham, something that is also connected to conditioning and picking the best spots to expend or conserve energy.
With some experience under their collective belt, this team should be dangerous in the Eastern Conference with Cade leading the way.