Detroit Pistons Guard Lands on Top 25 List of Young NBA Stars

Cade Cunningham ranks Top 15 on a list of young NBA stars.

Mar 29, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) drives to the basket against Washington Wizards forward Anthony Gill (16) during the third quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Reggie Hildred-USA TODAY Sports / Reggie Hildred-USA TODAY Sports

The Detroit Pistons carry one of the NBA’s youngest rosters, and their starting point guard has recently been recognized as a face of the next generation of star hoopers.

According to The Ringer’s latest rankings involving the 25 best players at the age of 25 and under, Cade Cunningham is considered 14th on the list, sandwiched between Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young, and Toronto Raptors forward, Scottie Barnes.

While the Pistons have been one of the worst teams in the league in recent seasons, Cunningham is earning his props for being a bright spot on the struggling roster.

Mar 3, 2022; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) looks for a passing option past Toronto Raptors forwards Scottie Barnes (4) and Pascal Siakam (43) in the second half at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports / Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

Looking at the Positive

“The Pistons have put together one of the worst rebuilds in recent memory, so you could easily argue that he’ll be better when a sensible roster is constructed around him. Cunningham carried an absurd burden—the fourth-most pick-and-rolls per game in the NBA, with a 33.1 percent usage—on a roster that lacks additional creators and was tied for fewest made 3s per game in the entire league. I’ve seen soccer riots with better spacing than the Pistons’ half-court offense.”

Not every high-end lottery pick lands on the right side of boom-or-bust territory. Entering the NBA as the No. 1 overall pick following his freshman season at Oklahoma State, Cunningham carried a lot of pressure on his shoulders to live up to the offseason hype.

Three years in, he gives the Pistons hope that he can be the face of the franchise for years to come. It’s going to take a lot of help surrounding Cunningham to take the Detroit franchise in a more positive direction.

As young and promising as some of the Pistons’ core players are, it’s notable that Cunningham is alone on this list. Since the 2020 NBA Draft, the Pistons have selected four players in the top ten. Three of them remain on the roster (Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, and Ausar Thompson) while Killian Hayes hit waivers back in February.