After a frustrating start to his career, former No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham has come into his own this season. That trend continued Saturday, when he had a monster triple-double to lead the Detroit Pistons to another victory, this time a 123-114 triumph over the Toronto Raptors. The red-hot Pistons have now won nine of their last 11 games.
Cunningham had 22 points, 10 rebounds, 17 assists, a steal and two blocks to record his seventh triple-double of the season, behind Nikola Jokic (15) and LeBron James (eight). His third career triple-double with at least 15 assists puts him ahead of Pistons icon Isiah Thomas for the most such games in franchise history.
Additionally, Cunningham’s 17 assists were one shy of his career high, and it was the third time this season he had a triple-double with at least 20 points and 15 assists. He is now tied for sixth among active players. Just for comparison, Chris Paul has made that many plays of this type in his entire career.
The Pistons led for much of Saturday’s game, but struggled to hold off the pesky Raptors until Cunningham took control in the fourth quarter. He had six points, three rebounds, four assists and a block in the final quarter, and set up Malik Beasley’s 3-pointer with two minutes remaining that sealed the victory.
For the season, Cunningham is now averaging 24.2 points, 6.7 rebounds and 9.5 assists per game while shooting 38% from 3-point range. Those marks are career highs across the board, and he’s also third in the league in assists. If he continues at this pace, there’s a chance he’ll average 25 points and 10 assists for the season, something only seven other players have ever done.
When the the latest All-Star fan voting returns came in ThursdayCunningham was seventh among Eastern Conference guards with 401,978 votes. But even though he won’t be a starter, the fourth-year guard makes a strong case for his first All-Star appearance. Coaches are responsible for selecting reserves, and what Cunningham has done to revitalize Detroit basketball, in addition to his individual numbers, will earn him a lot of respect.
Thanks to their current hot streak, the Pistons are 20-19 and sit in eighth place in the Eastern Conference. This is the latest in a season where they’ve been above .500 since the 2018-19 campaign, and they’re in great shape to make the Play-In tournament if they don’t steal a top-six spot. In 39 games last season, they were 3-36 and were the laughing stock of the league after a record 28-game losing streak.
Cunningham’s exceptional play isn’t the only reason for the Pistons’ turnaround, but he is the driving force behind their success.
