Kevin Durant Reveals Honest Thoughts on Pistons’ Cade Cunningham

With the Detroit Pistons gaining some spotlight lately, Cade Cunningham is earning his stripes across the NBA. That’s not to say that Cunningham wasn’t impressive before, but a combination of unlucky health and poor roster construction led Cunningham to be overlooked at times.

Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant has had his eyes on Cunningham from the jump. The superstar veteran recently praised Cunningham for the season he’s having on NBA Hooper Vision.

“Special, man… Special, man. He can do it all out there,” Durant said of Cunningham.

Kevin Durant on Cade Cunningham

“Special man special he can do it all out there, at the point guard 6’7” he’s posting up, he shooting the three. He’s gotta nice pace too I love his game. I was happy to see him become an All-Star.” pic.twitter.com/x5aM02MCIa
— Pistons Talk (@Pistons__Talk) February 25, 2025

“At the point guard at 6’7”, he’s posting up, he’s shooting the three. He’s got a nice pace, too, I love his game. He’s balling out this year. I was happy to see him become an All-Star. They are winning games now. He’s playing meaningful games late in the season. I’m happy for him, because he went through a lot being injured and having a couple of coaches. He was the No. 1 pick, a lot of expectations, and now he’s kind of seeing stuff coming to fruition. I like watching him play.”

Cunningham is a product of a rebuild. With the Pistons having high lottery odds and winning in 2021, the former Oklahoma State standout was the top prospect in the draft. He went to Detroit with the intention of being the franchise player, but that wasn’t an easy situation to enter.

Through his first two seasons, Cunningham battled with injuries. He appeared in just 64 games during his rookie effort and saw his sophomore season get cut short after 12 games. By year three, Cunningham was playing for his second head coach. He failed to exceed 65 games played for the third year in a row.

Dec 21, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) shoots over Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) during the second half at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

The Pistons continued believing in Cunningham, rewarding the former top pick with a max extension over the summer. They also replaced Monty Williams with JB Bickerstaff as the head coach and revamped the front office.

The result? Detroit holds a record of 32-26, which has them in the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference beyond the break. Cunningham earned his first All-Star nod and looks forward to potentially getting a chance to compete in the playoffs for the first time.

Leading up to Monday night’s win over the Los Angeles Clippers, Cunningham was posting averages of 26 points, six rebounds, and 10 assists on 46 percent shooting from the field and 36 percent shooting from three.

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