The Pistons place their destiny in the hands of Cade Cunningham

Only third in the race for the last trophy of the best debutant of the season, Cade Cunningham however succeeded in his debut in the Big League with more than 17 points, 5 assists and 5 rebounds per game. In fact, he became the tenth player in NBA history to manage to post such numbers in his first year, after Oscar Robertson, Alvan Adams, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Grant Hill, Steve Francis, LeBron James, Tyreke Evans and Luka Doncic. So very encouraging…

With an exciting offseason that has seen the Pistons trim their payroll and look resolutely to the future with the draft of Jaden Ivey in particular, Cade Cunningham is clearly the boss in Detroit. The former Cowboys superstar in Oklahoma is expected as the leader of a team in full reconstruction.

A relay in the field

“Some players become leaders and others are born leaders”explains Rob Murphy, the Pistons’ assistant GM in the Detroit Free Press. “Cade Cunningham is a born leader, a connector. He leads by example and is also able to communicate and teach his teammates on the job. There are guys like that, like Magic Johnson, Jason Kidd, Mark Jackson who come on the field and the others follow behind. Cade is one of them. As good as he is as a player, he is just as good as a leader and a connector, which bodes very well for us because a coach always needs to have someone on the pitch to transmit the message and lead the troops. And when he’s not on the pitch, he’s very good at communicating and being an exemplary teammate. “

With a major five under the 23, including the Marvin Bagley – Isaiah Stewart duo under the panels, plus Saddiq Bey and Jaden Ivey alongside him on the outsides, Cade Cunningham will inherit the keys to the truck at the Pistons. And it is to him that will return the heavy task of paving the way and setting up the game.

A handyman who has already won over his leaders, he had already started to adopt good habits last season. This next campaign will give him even more free rein.

“It’s really hard to do, and very rare [de s’imposer en leader en étant si jeune]”, resumes Kelly Olynyk. “I have the greatest respect for him, for his game and for the way he behaves. We have veterans who can speak, but it’s really up to him to do so. It will be his job. We’ll be there to support him and give him our advice, and talk when necessary, but this is Cade’s team. This is what we will need from our point guard, our leader, the future of the Pistons. That’s what he has to do and I think he wants to do it. The sooner he does it, the better for the team. “

Already “one of the best leaders in the League”

Very happy after the Draft with two good takes, Jaden Ivey but also the powerful and very young interior, Jalen Duren (18), the Pistons are clearly betting on youth, therefore betting on Cade Cunningham to channel all this passion and this overflowing energy.

In this case, and as the local of the stage, Jalen Rose recently explained, the duo Cunningham – Ivey could indeed be the “backcourt” which will bring the Pistons back to the fore in the NBA. Appearing in the playoffs only twice since 2009, will the Michigan franchise finally rise from the ashes?

“It’s important to have confidence in my game and not try to adapt to him. I will of course encourage him to be aggressive but I also want to make sure that I too will be aggressive. It’s better for us to go our separate ways and find a way to play well together as we go along rather than adapting too much to each other and starting off slowly. We are doing pretty well in training and over time, we will do better and better. “

After three seasons around twenty wins, the Pistons want to aim higher. Their immediate leeway will depend on the progress and leadership of Cade Cunningham. But, according to their assistant GM, they confidently place their destiny in his hands.

“I really believe that he is one of the best leaders in the League”, concludes Rob Murphy. “He is still very young and he has a lot to learn. But he’s one of those guys that people listen to. He leads by example and we are very happy that he is in our franchise. “