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TV Host Gives Favorable NBA Rank for Pistons’ Cade Cunningham

Popular TV host Nick Wright believes Cade Cunningham is a Top 10 player already.
Justin Grasso|
Jan 13, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) reacts during the second quarter against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Jan 13, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) reacts during the second quarter against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

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Detroit Pistons

Since signing his max contract with the Detroit Pistons, Cade Cunningham has been on a quick rise as he puts together his most prominent season as a pro.

At this point, the former top pick is going from being an empty-stats guy on a struggling team to being recognized as one of the best young players in the game. This week, show host and NBA analyst Nick Wright ranked his top players in the league, giving Cunningham a favorable rank on ‘First Things First.’

“Cade Cunningham. Former No. 1 pick. Nobody talks about could he be the face of the league? I don’t know. He was the No. 1 pick, he’s got the Pistons firmly in the playoffs, they’re not going to be a Play-In team.”

Going into the 2024-2025 NBA season, the Pistons made notable changes to the front office and the coaching staff. The roster was slightly tweaked in favor of Cunningham, but the Pistons trusted he could take them to a different level with some better spacing by surrounding him with high-volume three-point shooters.

The Pistons didn’t enter the season with playoffs as their expectation. It’s safe to say they are exceeding their goals, as the playoffs are certainly in sight for the first time during the Cunningham era.

Cade Cunningha
Jan 13, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) reacts during the third quarter against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

At 35-27, the Pistons have possession of the Eastern Conference’s sixth seed. If the season ended this week, they would likely draw a first-round matchup against the New York Knicks. Cunningham hasn’t proven himself in the playoffs just yet, but he’s quickly establishing himself as one of the NBA’s biggest rising stars this year.

In Wright’s opinion, Cunningham is already a Top 10 guy, and could potentially be viewed as one of the new faces in the league.

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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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