After a frustrating start to his career, former No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham has come into his own this season. That trend continued on Saturday, when he put up a monster triple-double to lead the Detroit Pistons to yet another win, this time a 123-114 triumph over the Toronto Raptors. The red-hot Pistons have now won nine of their last 11 games.
Cunningham went off for 22 points, 10 rebounds, 17 assists, a steal and two blocks to record his seventh triple-double of the season, which trails only Nikola Jokic (15) and LeBron James (eight). His third career triple-double with at least 15 assists put him ahead of Pistons icon Isiah Thomas for the most such games in franchise history.
Furthermore, Cunningham’s 17 assists were one short of his career-high, and this was the third time this season that he’s had a triple-double with at least 20 points and 15 assists. He is now tied for the sixth-most such games among active players. Just for the sake of comparison, Chris Paul has as many such games in his entire career.
The Pistons led for much of Saturday’s contest, but were having trouble putting the pesky Raptors away until Cunningham took control in the fourth quarter. He had six points, three rebounds, four assists and a block in the final frame, and set up Malik Beasley’s 3-pointer with two minutes remaining that sealed the win.
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 could average 25 points and 10 assists for the season, which only seven other players have ever done.
When the latest All-Star fan voting returns came in on Thursday, Cunningham was seventh among Eastern Conference guards at 401,978 votes. But even if he won’t be a starter, the fourth-year guard is making a strong case for his first All-Star appearance. Coaches are responsible for selecting the reserves, and what Cunningham has done to revitalize Detroit basketball, on top of his individual numbers, will earn him plenty 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 they’ve been above .500 since the 2018-19 campaign, and they’re in great shape to make the Play-In Tournament if not steal a top-six spot. Through 39 games last season they were 3-36, and were the laughingstock of the league after a record 28-game losing streak.
Cunningham’s stellar play is not the only reason for the Pistons’ turnaround, but he is the driving force behind their success.
