Detroit Pistons: 3 goals for Cade Cunningham in his rookie season

Pistons goals for Cade Cunningham: 3. Just win baby

Cade Cunningham didn’t get drafted by the Pistons to be a good-stats-bad-team kind of guy. He may not put up the kind of volume scoring numbers that Jalen Green does for the Houston Rockets, but Cunningham profiles to have a more holistic impact on winning.

He’s an excellent scorer and an elite 3-point shooter, both off the catch and off the dribble, his playmaking is underrated and he’s got all the physical and mental tools to be a great defender. All of these elements combine to form a rookie who has an above-average chance to contribute to victories.

The Pistons aren’t going to be contending for anything next season (maybe a play-in spot if absolutely everything goes well), but Cunningham is a reason that they can overachieve. He’s also a big reason that their restoration to greatness could be turbocharged along its path and the Pistons could get there sooner than they even hoped when they drafted him.

Cunningham is just a piece of the puzzle, not the whole shebang, but he’s the biggest and most important piece for a Detroit squad looking to get back to their rightful place in the NBA’s hierarchy.