{"id":828335,"date":"2025-04-09T11:00:20","date_gmt":"2025-04-09T15:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/?p=828335"},"modified":"2025-04-09T11:00:23","modified_gmt":"2025-04-09T15:00:23","slug":"cade-cunningham-255","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/the-magazine\/slam-255\/cade-cunningham-255\/","title":{"rendered":"Cade Cunningham Has His FOOT ON THE GAS: SLAM 255 Cover Story"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

There\u2019s a saying about the past\u2026Forget that<\/em>. We\u2019re not here to focus on what was. And at this moment, neither is Cade Cunningham, as he leads a renaissance in Detroit. Yes, the first few years in the League for the Pistons prodigy were tumultuous. Those losses have been well documented: 192 over three years while tying the NBA\u2019s all-time losing streak last season with 28 straight. But in 2025, Cunningham has the city of Detroit envisioning hoops through late April for the first time in six years. It\u2019s a stark contrast to the feeling that loomed over the Henry Ford Detroit Pistons Performance Center just last season. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was hard losing so many games. Always seeing myself as a winner growing up, always having won, basically in all sports, to have a streak like last year and to have a year that was as tough as it was, I definitely learned a lot about myself and my mental fortitude,\u201d Cade says. \u201cAlso, just staying in the grind, not leaving it. Trusting the work, trusting the path that I always believed I was on. I think that was the biggest thing that helped me get through it.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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GET YOUR COPY<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Cunningham didn\u2019t just get through it\u2014he\u2019s evolved in the midst of it. He\u2019s averaging the most points (25.6) by a Piston since the 2000-01 season. He\u2019s averaging a career-high 9.3 dimes a night, which ranks third in the L, on top of pulling down 6.0 boards a game. He\u2019s on pace to become the seventh player in League history to average at least 25\/9\/6, and his eight triple-doubles this season are the third-most by a Piston since Grant Hill\u2019s 13 in \u201996-97 and 10 in \u201995-96. Oh yeah, and he\u2019s got the Pistons sitting sixth in the Eastern Conference standings with their sights set on moving up. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019re looking at the Motor City\u2019s first All-Star since 2019. The former No. 1 overall pick who built out the foundation that has Detroit back to sitting above .500 for the foreseeable future. At 38-31 as we go to press, the on-court architect of the Pistons\u2019 resurgence has done more than get them back into the mix; they\u2019re turning into the team that the rest of the League doesn\u2019t want to see. And it began with first-year head coach J.B. Bickerstaff asking his star orchestrator what he wanted out of this season. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A clean slate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI wanted to take the step forward towards playoff basketball, not knowing if that was going to mean we were going to make the playoffs or if we were just going to see growth and be a more competitive team,\u201d Cunningham says. \u201cTeam-wise, more than anything, just winning. Competing in games, being in all games that we play. We\u2019ve been there. We\u2019re doing that now. We\u2019ve definitely lived up to everything that we were talking about [doing] for sure.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This season\u2019s turnaround wasn\u2019t a leap of faith. In reality, the Arlington, TX, native has been brimming with confidence since spending all of this past offseason training at 100 percent. He knew the phrase \u201ctaking things day by day\u201d intimately, from missing training camp as a rookie with an ankle injury to sitting out for a majority of his second season after undergoing surgery to repair a stress fracture in his left leg. He knew the process back to the League\u2019s competitive ranks would be a mirror to his journey thus far\u2014a test of will. But four straight Ls to start the season didn\u2019t shake what the previous four months in the gym had envisioned. If anything, it just made Cade and the Pistons lock in even more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you were to ask No. 2 when he started to feel the vibes of the season shift, he\u2019d point to the Pistons\u2019 first West Coast trip that ignited more than a few win streaks. From Phoenix to L.A. and Sacramento, Cade and the Pistons rattled off several wins in late December. By early January, they had strung together a five-game win streak and won eight of their last nine. Little Caesars Arena has been lit ever since. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat West Coast trip, like I said, was a huge trip for us. I think that really helped get our momentum going in the right direction,\u201d Cunningham says. \u201cBeating some really good teams in a row, I think that was a huge confidence booster for us. I think that was one of the big differences where we all saw change. Like, Aight, we\u2019re in the mix now<\/em>. We\u2019re playing in big games. We\u2019re playing for wins every night. We hadn\u2019t been doing that before.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The before times featured shouldering the blame and expectations of an entire organization. Losses used to be tough, demoralizing. They aren\u2019t as much anymore. Instead of blowouts, today\u2019s losses are determined by single digits. The present sees a retooled confidence and deeper connections with teammates and coaches. Cade\u2019s no longer doing it alone. As the head honcho of a squad with equal amounts of youngins and veteran wings, they all look to him as much as he does to them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The past two draft classes have brought both Ausar Thompson and Ron Holland II to the squad. And first-year president Trajan Langdon has infused a hunger throughout the front office that resulted in the acquisitions of Tobias Harris, Tim Hardaway Jr and Malik Beasley this offseason. In the background, Cade and third-year center Jalen Duren have constructed the NBA\u2019s latest lob duo threat. And Jaden Ivey\u2019s making his way back from injury for next season. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

All those dimes, dots and assists are just as much a result of Cade snaking around screens and biding his time as they are Beas or Tobias knocking down a corner drift three or Duren trailing
down the lane, anticipating the mid-air connection. Whether he\u2019s looking off defenders with his eyes or hesitating ever so slightly to open up a gap, Cade\u2019s got a counter at all times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With a newly constructed, bolstered roster that places him squarely as the face of the franchise, Cade is excelling. Everyone is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat made my life so much easier\u2014having guys, one, as professional as they are. The way that they approach every night, coming to play, coming to compete,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd then having all those guys that we just named come in and bring their own confidence and their own swag to the table has really helped us put a product together with a lot of the right ingredients.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

His new vets have been committed to pouring their experience back into the roster. They\u2019ve shared with Cade the ins and outs of different coverages. How he can attack them. Beat them. Outsmart them. \u201cThings that you don\u2019t necessarily see on the stat sheet, but make the game a lot easier whenever you understand them,\u201d Cunningham explains. \u201cAll three of those guys have a different understanding of those things. They\u2019ve taught me a lot since they\u2019ve been here, along with the fact that they put the ball in the rim, which we all need. I\u2019ve been lucky to have them here. We all have been. It\u2019s been fun playing with them, for sure.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As he sits inside the practice facility in mid-March for his second SLAM cover shoot, Cade says there\u2019s a collective chip across the roster, from those who have lived through the franchise\u2019s struggles to those inheriting the responsibility of the change as it unfolds. And like he\u2019s always done dating back to his days at Bowie HS and then Montverde, Cade is analyzing moment by moment what type of leader he needs to be. In games. In the locker room. In practice. During film sessions. Learning what pushes his guys and what makes them fall back. What are those triggers? Is it sounding off vocally or quietly being the first in the gym? On top of methodically breaking down defenses and pulling defenders out to the three-point line with an improved range this season, Cade is constantly searching for ways to empower everyone.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd then in that, making sure that the knowledge that I do have, I\u2019m sharing it as much as I can. When I feel like I know something, I put it out there,\u201d Cunningham says. \u201cAnd then being able to be led as well. I was always told great leaders have to be great followers. And to be able to lead, you have to know how to follow as well. So I think making sure that I\u2019m being as great of a follower as I can for Coach J.B. I think that helps the rest of the team set the tone as far as ways to receive his coaching. And then I try to do the same as far as, like I said, just being forward with what I think I see and what I think I know.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The chemistry has been on full display this season. Pull up the team\u2019s socials for an inside look, from Duren and Beas crashing Cade\u2019s postgame interview with All-Star praise to the team\u2019s pre-game handshakes in the tunnel, which reflect the antics and camaraderie of a close-knit group. There\u2019s a scrappiness on defense that hasn\u2019t been felt for decades and the offense hums to the beat of everyone getting touches. Cade\u2019s confidence in himself\u2014and the group\u2014has only grown as he continues to lean on others. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSeeing the turnaround from where we\u2019ve come from to where we are now, having the fresh start that we had this year with all the new people coming in, everything like that [brought confidence]. The work that I had put in up to that point had given me all the confidence already, as far as what I can bring to the table individually,\u201d Cunningham says. \u201cBut then being able to lean on guys like Tobias, Malik, Tim, Coach. All those guys that have that experience, that brings a lot of confidence as well.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 2024-25 season is just the beginning of Detroit\u2019s new identity. There are more goals to reach. More accomplishments to share. More wins to be had. And yeah, Cade admits that this season has been a great start. Competitive hoops is back in the 313. And as he maps out the next phase of the Pistons\u2019 persistent rise, he can\u2019t help but take in the change in the air. There\u2019s a different level of satisfaction that has come with truly<\/em> putting in the work. And he\u2019s finding it each time he glances into the home crowd at Little Caesars Arena. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve enjoyed watching the fans enjoy watching us play more than anything,\u201d Cunningham says. \u201cI can remember last season so many times, we\u2019d mess up, you look in the crowd and everybody\u2019s shaking their head. It was just sick. Now we have a big play or something, I look around and there\u2019s so much laughter. You can really see people having a good time. And that was one of the main things that I wanted to do coming to Detroit: start us getting back to winning.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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SHOP COLLECTION<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Portraits by Matthew Coughlin<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s a saying about the past\u2026Forget that. We\u2019re not here to focus on what was. And at this moment, neither is Cade Cunningham, as he leads a renaissance in Detroit. Yes, the first few years in the League for the Pistons prodigy were tumultuous. Those losses have been well documented: 192 over three years while […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":448,"featured_media":828347,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[65371],"tags":[62624,98,62525,12990],"yst_prominent_words":[],"class_list":["post-828335","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-slam-255","tag-cade-cunningham","tag-detroit-pistons","tag-feature-1","tag-nba"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/828335","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/448"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=828335"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/828335\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":828351,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/828335\/revisions\/828351"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/828347"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=828335"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=828335"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=828335"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=828335"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}