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Cade Cunningham Shines Light on Young Pistons Player's Big Night

Cade Cunningham showed love to Marcus Sasser.
Justin Grasso|
Nov 2, 2023; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) passes to guard Marcus Sasser (25) against New Orleans Pelicans guard Dyson Daniels (11) during the first half at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
Nov 2, 2023; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) passes to guard Marcus Sasser (25) against New Orleans Pelicans guard Dyson Daniels (11) during the first half at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

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Detroit Pistons

Lately, playing time has been inconsistent for the Detroit Pistons’ young veteran guard, Marcus Sasser. Throughout March, he’s played in just six games, collecting seven DNPs.

With the Pistons down a guard in Cade Cunningham, along with the recovering Jaden Ivey, Sasser has earned some playing time off the bench over the last two games.

Against the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday night, Sasser ended up dropping a career-high in scoring. Cunningham, who watched from the side, took to social media the following day to bring attention to Sasser’s recent accomplishment.

The star guard re-posted a graphic about Sasser’s career-high stat line of 27 points on 75 percent shooting.

Cade Cunningham, Marcus Sasser
Cade Cunningham shows support to Marcus Sasser on Instagram. | @cadecunn1ngham on Instagram

During Cunningham’s recent two-game absence, Sasser has averaged 24 points on 71 percent shooting from the field. He also knocked down eight of his 11 shots from three.

Friday night will mark another opportunity for Sasser to keep the ball rolling. With Cunningham ruled out for the third game in a row due to a calf contusion, that should keep the door open for Sasser to see nearly 20 minutes in the rotation once again.

Throughout his sophomore effort, Sasser has appeared in 51 games. Although opportunities have been limited, keeping him under seven points per game, Sasser has made the most with his minutes, averaging a solid 40 percent from three on nearly three shots from deep per game.

The Pistons and the Cavaliers are slated for a 7 PM ET start time on Friday night. Detroit will look to keep their winning streak rolling against a tough Cavs team.

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Justin Grasso was a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s 76ers On SI Network. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writers Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoMedia

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