For everything that broke against the Pistons this season, the development that breathes life into their possibilities for the future has been the emphatic emergence of Cade Cunningham as the player they hoped to land when they made him the No. 1 pick of the 2021 draft.
After shooting 29.6 percent from the 3-point arc over the season’s first 13 games, Cunningham since mid-November is averaging 23.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 7.7 assists while shooting 38.8 percent from the 3-point arc on 5.2 attempts per game, 47.4 percent overall and 87.2 percent from the foul line. But that includes the stretch of games following his return from a knee strain that cost him three weeks of games and continued to affect him for the next few weeks, too.
Since the All-Star break and a return to full health, the numbers are even more noteworthy: 25.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and 7.9 assists on 47.6 3-point shooting with 7.0 attempts per game, 49.1 percent overall and 90.5 percent from the foul line.
He’s done that despite the upheaval on the roser that sent the reliable scoring sidekick Bojan Bogdanovic away and playing in lineups without another consistent 3-point threat, especially given the shooting slump Jaden Ivey endured and the absence of Isaiah Stewart for 11 games. He’s seen every gang-defense tactic in the book
It was fitting, then, when in Thursday’s win over Brooklyn Cunningham reached a milestone that put him in exclusive company. He topped 2,500 career points with 800 assists, becoming the sixth-fastest to those benchmarks in NBA history. You’ve heard of the other five: Oscar Robertson, Allen Iverson, Luka Doncic, Trae Young and LeBron James.
“It’s huge,” Monty Williams said of the milestone. “All those guys are going to be in the Hall of Fame someday, I think. For him to be able to do that speaks to his talent and the work he puts in. That young man sees the best defender every night. He sees the double team most of the night. And he’s not a selfish player. Cade’s not a guy that goes out and just jacks up shots. For him to be on that list is a pretty cool thing for him and his family. For everything we’ve been through and he’s been through, those are the achievements we need to celebrate.”
PISTONS TRIVIA
Which opponent was the visitor when the Pistons played their first game at both The Palace of Auburn Hills and Little Caesars Arena?
A: Chicago
B: Charlotte
C: Cleveland
D: Boston
THIS WEEK IN PISTONS HISTORY
On March 12, 1982, Kelly Tripucka set a Pistons rookie record that still stands when he scored 49 points to lead the Pistons to a 121-117 win over the Golden State Warriors. At the time, it ranked 11th on the all-time NBA rookie scoring list with Wilt Chamberlain occupying five of the top 10 spots. Had Tripucka, an 85 percent career free-throw shooter, had anything close to a typical night at the line, he’d have topped 50 points that night. But he went just 11 of 16 at the line to come up one point short. Tripucka hit 19 of 28 shots without attempting a 3-pointer in 47 minutes. He added eight rebounds and three steals. Bill Laimbeer had a big night with 20 points and 18 rebounds while Tripucka’s fellow rookie, Isiah Thomas, had 18 points and 10 assists. Bernard King, a longtime Pistons tormentor, scored 33 for Golden State. World B. Free added 28 for the Warriors.
A PRO’S PRO
The Pistons filled the roster spot created when they came to terms on a contract buyout with Shake Milton, allowing him to join the Knicks in time to gain postseason eligibility, by signing veteran Taj Gibson to a 10-day contract. Perhaps the ultimate testament to Gibson’s sterling reputation as a pro’s pro around the NBA is the way veteran coach Tom Thibodeau, known for demanding adherence to fundamentals, has brought Gibson along to both Minnesota and New York after coaching Gibson for five seasons in Chicago. Especially appealing for Williams was the impact Gibson could have on the young Pistons, particularly big men Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart. “Taj is somebody that, I told the guys today,” Williams said last week, “how you handle your business throughout your career can pay dividends for you later on. He’s a 15-, 16-year guy that I’ve coached against for a while. He used to drive me nuts the way he’d terrorize our bigs, but he played the right way. Just felt like he would have a good impact on us in a number of ways. We talked about it earlier in the year. The time and the situation didn’t allow for us to bring someone in pre-trade (deadline) and all that stuff. We’ve got this flexibility to do it now. We’ve talked about running through the tape and having another smart, veteran guy to help our guys tighten the screws in areas where coaching and that voice can help a young team.” Gibson, 38, was picked 26th overall by Chicago in the 2009 draft after three seasons at Southern Cal. He’s played in 961 games with 450 starts.
THE WEEK AHEAD
- MONDAY – The Pistons get a jam-packed week of basketball at Little Caesars Arena rolling by hosting the Charlotte Hornets, coming off a 110-99 win over Brooklyn on Saturday to snap a six-game losing streak. Charlotte, despite a six-game advantage over the Pistons in the win column, carries the NBA’s worst scoring differential, minus 10.1 compared to minus 8.8 for the Pistons. Charlotte won four straight games and five of six last month after acquiring Grant Williams in a deal that sent P.J. Washington to Dallas. LaMelo Ball has missed the last 21 games with an ankle injury, but the Hornets expect he’ll return soon. Flint native Miles Bridges has averaged 21.3 points a game for Charlotte since returning in mid-November from NBA suspension. The Pistons are 2-0 vs. Charlotte this season.
7 p.m. on BALLY SPORTS DETROIT and 97.1 THE TICKET FM
- WEDNESDAY – Toronto starts the week with a 23-41 record and is all but out of the running for the final play-in berth, sitting seven games in the loss column behind No. 10 Atlanta with 18 games to play. The Raptors will be winding up a four-game road trip at Liltte Caesars Arena after dropping games at Phoenix and Portland to open it before playing at reigning NBA champion Denver on Monday night. The Pistons and Raptors are 1-1 in their series this season, the Pistons winning on Dec. 30 to snap their 28-game losing streak. Since that game, Toronto has traded starters Pascal Siakam (to Indiana) and Dennis Schroder (to Brooklyn).
7 p.m. on BALLY SPORTS DETROIT and 97.1 THE TICKET FM
- FRIDAY – Miami visits the Pistons for the first time this season in the first of a “baseball” series that will see the Heat stick around for a Sunday matinee. The Pistons opened their season at Miami and played there again just last week, taking the Heat to the final minute in each game before losing narrowly. The Heat start the week in a foul mood after losing at home to Washington on Sunday, falling from a tie with Orlando for the fifth and sixth spots in the East to eighth.
7 p.m. on BALLY SPORTS DETROIT and 97.1 THE TICKET FM
- SUNDAY – Miami completes the season series with the Pistons, but the highlight of the day will be the recognition of the 2004 NBA champion Pistons on the 20th anniversary of their title, the third in franchise history, with a St. Patrick’s Day matinee at Little Caesars Arena. Before coming to Detroit for a pair of games, Miami will host defending NBA champion Denver on Wednesday.
3 p.m. on BALLY SPORTS DETROIT and WWJ-AM 950
TRIVIA ANSWER
The Charlotte Hornets were the opponent when the Pistons played their first games at both The Palace of Auburn Hills and Little Caesars Arena 29 years apart. On Nov. 5, 1988, the Pistons hosted the expansion Hornets, who the previous night had hosted Cleveland for the first game in franchise history. Ex-Pistons forward Kelly Tripucka was in the starting lineup for Charlotte, scoring nine points in 38 minutes as the Pistons opened up an 18-point lead after three quarters and posted a 94-85 win. It was a quiet night for the Hall of Fame Pistons backcourt as Isiah Thomas finished with 15 points and seven assists and Joe Dumars with just five points on 2 of 10 shooting. The Pistons did not attempt a single 3-point shot. Charlotte’s leading scorer with 16 points off the bench was second-year forward Brian Rowsom. The Hornets got 12 points in 35 minutes off the bench from their No. 1 draft pick, Rex Chapman, who left Kentucky after his sophomore season and was the eighth pick. Also coming off Charlotte’s bench: Detroit native and one-time Pistons forward Earl Cureton, who died suddenly last month. The first-ever Pistons game at LCA came on Oct. 18, 2017 when they beat Charlotte 102-90 behind 27 points from Tobias Harris. Stanley Johnson started and led the Pistons in minutes played with 40, but missed all of his 13 shots that night.
(Eddie Rivero, Pistons basketball information specialist, contributed to this report.)