Cade Cunningham's Thoughts on Game-Changing Factor vs James Harden

Although the Detroit Pistons have turned into one of the NBA’s playoff contenders and have an All-Star in Cade Cunningham, they still get a sense that they’ve had a much harder time getting to the free-throw line compared to their opponent. James Harden’s high volume of free throw attempts on Wednesday night called for multiple members to point that out once again.

Cunningham acknowledged James Harden’s massive scoring night with praise for the 11-time All-Star. While Harden produced plenty of points from the charity stripe, Cunningham didn’t want to slight the superstar’s performance when pointing out his concerns.

“He’s one of the best ISO scorers the league has ever seen,” Cunningham told reporters. “I can’t put enough respect on his ability to score the ball, find angles and stuff.”

Cade Cunningham on James Harden’s game and earning respect from officials over time:

“He’s one of the best iso scorers the league has ever seen. I can’t put enough respect on his ability to score the ball. … It’s hard for me to respect getting hit and not getting the call.” pic.twitter.com/QKKEYVxFNr
— Hunter Patterson (@HuntPatterson_) March 6, 2025

In the absence of Kawhi Leonard and Norman Powell, Harden attempted 24 shots from the field, with 13 of them coming from beyond the arc. The veteran guard shot nearly 60 percent overall and drilled around half of his threes. Still, the way the game was getting called shifted the Pistons’ defensive strategy and slowed the matchup down.

Then, on the other side, the Pistons felt they weren’t getting an even whistle.

“Comparing the free throws between us two, I think a lot of it has to do with respect from the refs as far as the experience,” Cunningham explained.

James Harden and Cade Cunningha — Feb 24, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) defends against LA Clippers guard James Harden (1) during the second half at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Reginek-Imagn Images | David Reginek-Imagn Images

“[Harden’s] been in this league killing for a long time. I understand that—I respect that—it’s hard for me to respect getting hit and not getting a call. Everybody sees that. I mean, they see other calls, and they don’t see mine, or they don’t feel like it’s a foul, so what can I say about that?”

Although Cunningham is getting to the free-throw line for more attempts per game this season, he’s still not up there with some of the league’s more seasoned guards. To compare, Cunningham is averaging five attempts per game, while Harden is a little over seven. Throughout his career, Harden has averaged eight free throws per outing.

Wednesday night’s game was certainly an above-average night for Harden in that category. The All-Star had 20 attempts, which was all but six of LA’s foul shots and one more than the Pistons’ entire team combined.

Cunningham and the Pistons continue to feel slighted in that area, but it’s something they’ll have to continue to live with as they navigate through the final stretch of the year. After a 123-115 loss against the Clippers, the Pistons will get a chance to bounce back this weekend as they have a back-to-back set, starting with the Golden State Warriors on Saturday.

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