Cade Cunningham Labeled ‘Elite’ After Pistons Loss vs Pacers

Cade Cunningham gets hit with the "elite" label after his first game against the Pacers this year.

Oct 23, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) shoots over Indiana Pacers guard Ben Sheppard (26) in the second half at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

The first half of Wednesday night’s matchup between the Detroit Pistons and the Indiana Pacers didn’t go as planned for the star veteran, Cade Cunningham.

Checking in for 17 minutes, Cunningham put up eight shots from the field and found success on one of his attempts. With that lone basket and a handful of free throws, Cunningham had just six points going into halftime against the Pacers.

Despite the scoring struggles from the star, Cunningham’s playmaking was on full display as he dished out six assists. The Pistons managed to put up a 58-49 lead over the Pacers through the first half of action.

Oct 13, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) drives to the net against the Golden State Warriors during the first quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images | Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images

Then, in the third quarter, Cunningham found his shot. In his next 11 minutes on the court, he was near-perfect from the field, making all but one of his nine shots, dropping 18 of the Pistons’ 32 points.

In the eyes of first-year Pistons head coach JB Bickerstaff, Cunningham was simply elite. And that’s not a shock to the former Cleveland Cavaliers head coach, who has seen plenty of Cade over the years.

“I mean, that’s who he is," Bickerstaff told reporters after the game. "He’s one of the elite talents in our league. He has the ability to stay with it and get it going like he did tonight. That’s what we’re going to need from him all year.”

On the other side, Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle had similar praise for the young veteran.

"He’s a great young player—All-Star-caliber player," said the Pacers coach. "When he made the three to end the third quarter, that was a big momentum play. Our guys probably could’ve dropped their heads there, but we did not. We had a quick response.”

Just one game in, Cunningham and the Pistons are searching for consistency. As good as his second-half was, Cunningham understands he needs to be able to be that productive for four quarters in order to put teams like the Pacers away with a win.

Despite the double-digit lead gained over the Pacers, a late-game comeback was in the works for Indiana. The Pacers took down the Pistons with a 115-109 victory.

Cunningham finished the night with 28 points on 10-23 shooting from the field in 36 minutes. He also dished out eight assists and came down with five rebounds. Personally, Cunningham had a stellar season debut.