Cade Cunningham had a breakthrough season last year by making his first All-Star team and first All-NBA selection. Next season, he will look for even more and hope to establish himself as one of the top players in both the Eastern Conference and the NBA as a whole. With a strong season for him and the Pistons, he can find himself in the running to be an All-Star starter.
Cade Cunningham is a top guard in the Eastern Conference
Last season, Cade made the All-Star team for the first time in his career. He was a reserve on the team behind starting guards Donovan Mitchell and Jalen Brunson. Next season, he’s expected to make the All-Star team once again, but this time it might be in a starting spot.
It was always going to be hard for Cade to catch Mitchell and Brunson last season, especially by the All-Star break. Mitchell played on the top regular season team in the Eastern Conference and their incredible record was bound to win him some accolades. Brunson also had a great season and led an incredible Knicks offense.
Still, Cade Cunningham has a chance to swing voters if he continues his momentum from the second half of last season. Brunson and Mitchell both have a stronger supporting cast than Cade so Cade can gain an advantage if the Pistons are close to either the Knicks or Cavaliers in the standings.
His argument for being a better overall player than those two hinges on his well rounded game. Cade is not quite the scorer that either Mitchell or Brunson are, but he makes up for it with playmaking to elevate his whole team and being a neutral/positive defender. On a team like Detroit, which lacks many other offensive creators, but relies on their defensive identity, Cade is arguably a better fit than either of the other two guards mentioned.
Next season, Cade also has an added advantage compared to prior seasons because of the absence of Tyrese Haliburton, another young guard who is easily capable of making an All-Star team. Haliburton’s absence also diminishes the threat of the Indiana Pacers, which can thus help the Pistons rise in the standings.
Cade Cunningham already showed a lot of growth last season en route to his first All-Star appearance, but he is far from a finished product. He can still improve much more, especially in terms of scoring efficiency and limiting turnovers. With these sorts of additional leaps, he can establish himself as truly one of the best players in the entire Eastern conference and potentially an All-Star starter.