Cade Cunningham Heating Up From Three at Perfect Time for Pistons

Cade Cunningham is in the middle of the best three-point shooting stretch of his career—and it’s coming at the perfect time, during the home stretch of the regular season.

Over his last 12 games, Cunningham is shooting 44 percent from deep on 6.7 attempts per night.

If that development holds, it would be significant for multiple reasons. Chief among them is Cunningham’s ability to fully establish himself as a true three-level scorer. He is already above league average from paint attempts and midrange, shooting 47 percent on attempts from 3–10 feet and another 47 percent from 10–16 feet.

But through his first five seasons in the NBA, Cunningham has hovered below league average from three-point range, typically settling closer to the low 30s. It has long been a point of discussion among Pistons fans because of his collegiate résumé. During his lone season at Oklahoma State, Cunningham shot 40 percent from three on nearly six attempts per game across 27 contests.

In the NBA, that number has dipped to roughly 34 percent on similar volume.

Cunningham has had strong stretches before. Late last season, from late December into mid-January, he shot 40 percent from deep over a 10-game span on 6.7 attempts per game. The difference this time, however, is both volume and production.

During last year’s stretch, Cunningham attempted double-digit threes only twice and never made more than four in a single game.

Cade Cunningham has worked his catch and shoot 3pt% up to 32% on the season.

The first two months he was unfathomably struggling and was shooting around 10%.

Over the last 20 games, he’s shooting 40% from deep on 6.1 atts.

On the season, he’s shooting 36% on pull-up threes.
— Ku (@KuKhahil) March 12, 2026

Over this recent 12-game run, he has attempted double-digit threes twice and has hit six multiple times.

If the three-point shot proves sustainable alongside his ability to navigate defenses—whether attacking the rim or rising into the midrange pull-up that has become his signature—Detroit’s half-court offense becomes significantly more dangerous.

Cade is 44.9% from 3 over his last 11 games. Volume is up, to 7.1 attempts from 5.7 per game.

JB said Cade’s shooting improved last season and he thought he was just in a slump this year. “We knew it was a matter of time before they started to go in at a higher clip for him.”
— Omari Sankofa II (@omarisankofa) March 12, 2026

Since posting a season-low 31 percent from three in January, Cunningham has steadily improved each month. He shot 37 percent in February and is shooting 46 percent so far in March.

His shooting development could be one of the most important factors in unlocking the Pistons’ offense heading into the playoffs.

Cunningham should expect defenses to test it.

The New York Knicks did exactly that in last season’s playoff matchup, routinely going under screens and daring him to shoot. Cunningham struggled to make them pay, finishing the series 5-for-28 from three in a matchup decided by just 24 total points.

With margins that thin in postseason basketball, Detroit’s fate could hinge on whether Cunningham can sustain an above-average three-point shot.