Pistons’ Cade Cunningham is having one of the better seasons no one is talking about

DETROIT — Three years ago, as an up-and-coming prospect still living at home, Ausar Thompson argued with his twin brother, Amen, ad nauseam leading up to the 2021 NBA Draft about who should be the No. 1 pick.

Ausar thought the Detroit Pistons, who held the top pick that year, should take Oklahoma State guard Cade Cunningham. He didn’t particularly think it was close. Ausar naturally gravitates toward players who get others involved, and who control the game — qualities Cunningham has that had many executives, scouts and media members think he was one of the more complete prospects of the last several years. Amen thought the G League Ignite’s Jalen Green should go No. 1, with Green’s athleticism and explosiveness being the main factors.

Detroit ended up taking Cunningham at No. 1, allowing Ausar to boast in the face of his twin. The twist is that just a few years later the brothers ended up being teammates of the players they had championed. In the case of Ausar, drafted No. 5 overall by the Pistons in last year’s NBA Draft, his appreciation for Cunningham’s game has grown exponentially since they’ve come together.

“I didn’t know he was the level of shot maker that he is,” Ausar Thompson told The Athletic on Saturday night, following Detroit’s 112-109 loss to the Orlando Magic, a game in which Cunningham scored 26 points on 11-of-20 shooting. “I feel like this year that he’s stepped it up to a ridiculous level. I’ve been watching him for a long time and, obviously, he’s been good in the midrange, but he hits some tough ones.

“He has many, many spots on the floor. Before, I thought he picked his shots, more conservative. He gets a bucket until you can stop him. He also passes way better than I thought he could pass. The lobs are amazing.”

Cunningham, who is technically in Year 3 but played only 12 games during his sophomore season due to injury, is having one of the better individual seasons in the NBA no one is talking about.

For example:

Player A: 22.7 points, 6.8 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 49 eFG%, 1.0 steals, 0.5 blocks and 3.0 turnovers

Player B: 22.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 50.2 eFG%, 0.9 steals, 0.3 blocks and 3.5 turnovers

Player A is 6-foot-10 Magic forward Paolo Banchero, who just recently made his first NBA All-Star Game. Player B is the 6-6 Cunningham, who is playing on the eight-win Pistons.

Cunningham’s season is good in itself. Factor in that he essentially missed all of last year, is learning to play with a metal rod in his leg and doesn’t have as many weapons alongside him as Banchero does, and this season is borderline impressive.

Cunningham knows the game. He gets it. Winning matters. No one is talking about him because no one is talking about Detroit, unless it involves a historic losing streak. Cunningham isn’t in this for the individual press, though. He’d cut those numbers in half if it meant the Pistons were able to switch spots with Orlando.

“With how the league is, we reward winning,” Cunningham said. “People are going to say everything I’m doing is empty and meaningless until I win games. That’s what I plan on doing.”

Anyone who says that doesn’t watch the Pistons, which is understandable. Why would they? However, that shouldn’t negate the fact that Cunningham is showing why he was a No. 1 pick and that there are another few levels he can get to. Through his first 24 games, Cunningham was averaging 4.1 turnovers and shooting 32.4 percent from 3. Over his last 23 games, Cunningham is averaging just 2.8 turnovers while shooting 36 percent from 3.

There tends to be this notion in basketball that every top pick is immediately Tim Duncan or LeBron James. That is rarely the case. More often than not, even the most heralded prospects need time. Cunningham is basically in Year 2. His numbers are where you’d want someone in their second NBA season to be. Cunningham would be getting more praise and press if his team were better. It’s as simple as that.

“I’m beyond blessed and thankful to be playing, bro,” Cunningham said. “I can’t say it enough. I’m proud of the fact that I’ve been able to play.

“I don’t do the comparison thing as far as me to these other players. I know that I’m that level of being an All-Star, but I haven’t won enough games. I respect that. I know that once I do that, all the other stuff will come with it.”

Cunningham is averaging over 22 points per game while averaging only 4.3 free-throw attempts per game. Cunningham is one of 19 players who has a 29 percent usage or higher and averages at least 33 minutes per game. His 4.3 trips to the free-throw line per game rank dead last from that group.

That somewhat makes the season he is having even more impressive. Cunningham has scored 56 points over his last 61 minutes. He hasn’t attempted a free throw in that time.

Cunningham does take a lot of midrange jumpers, which is part of why his free-throw attempts are low. However, he does drive to the basket a lot, too. NBA referees haven’t given Cunningham a favorable whistle in his young career. He’s not sure why that is.

“I take pride in being a good basketball player,” Cunningham said. “I don’t take pride in the fact that I can’t get to the line. I’m trying to get there. I’m watching the stuff, trying to learn from it. I have to stop b—-ing and crying. I feel like that’s making them not want to look out for me more. I don’t know. I don’t know what it is. Maybe I need to be nicer. Maybe I need to kiss someone’s ass. I don’t know what it is. I’m working on it. I’m trying to get it.”

People want to talk about the progress Cunningham has made because the Pistons aren’t worth talking about. If Detroit starts winning games soon, Cunningham will likely be a big reason. Until then, it’s OK to acknowledge when a player on a bad team is having a good season. It’s OK to acknowledge that he can be more than a “good stats, bad team” guy.

Cunningham is the focus of every defensive game plan. His teammates, like him, are young. The Pistons haven’t always had adequate spacing around Cunningham. Yet, he continues to get better, even if no one is paying attention.

“He’s really tough to guard,” newly acquired Pistons forward Simone Fontecchio said. “He’s a great player. I love to play with him. The way he’s able to create for himself and all of the others is great, especially at that age. It’s not common.”

(Photo: Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)