The halls of NBA history are filled with franchises who’ve endured years of turmoil to succeed.
While a handful of them are starting to reap the benefits of perpetual losing, the most surprising one could be the Detroit Pistons.
In their 77 years of existence, the Pistons have experienced many eras. The “Bad Boys” era is the most notable one, as their ruthless style of play led them to back-to-back championships. Following a 13-year drought, the Pistons won another championship in 2004, marking their last one.
After missing the playoffs for the last five years, the team seems ready to get back to work. At 23-21, the Pistons have their best mark 44 games into a season since the 2015-16 campaign.
But it isn’t by coincidence.
Motor City needed a major tune-up
After the Pistons finished the 2020-21 season as the worst team in the Eastern Conference, they went into the offseason with optimism.
With their first pick in the 2021 draft, they selected Oklahoma State point guard Cade Cunningham.
When his rookie season began, Cunningham showed the Pistons they made the right choice. In just his 11th career game, he had his first career triple-double. He recorded 13 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists during a 121-116 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Cunningham finished the season with averages of 17.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 1.2 steals per game. His efforts helped him finish third in the Rookie of the Year race behind Scottie Barnes and Evan Mobley.
Three years later, the Pistons showed that they were willing to build around him. On Jul. 10, 2024, he signed a five-year contract extension worth $224 million.
This season, he is using the opportunity to show his appreciation. Right now, he is averaging 24.6 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 9.4 assists per game— all career highs.
He also has seven triple-doubles, but his sixth one was a massive milestone. It came on Nov. 17 when he recorded 21 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists against the Washington Wizards.
With that triple-double, he surpassed Isiah Thomas for the most triple-doubles in Pistons history.
Like many, Cunningham had to quickly adapt
Although Cunningham exhibited this level of talent during his days at Oklahoma State, it was hard to maintain it in the NBA from the beginning.
While struggling to adapt to the league, it’s possible he could have gotten guidance from then-head coach Dwane Casey. Casey coached the Pistons for four years before shifting to the front office.
Casey, who was known for emphasizing player development, envisioned Cunningham’s greatness before his career began.
“One thing I know, Cade won’t be a bust. He’s not. That’s one thing, you can guarantee that,” Casey told ESPN on the 2021 NBA Media Day. “But, there will be growing pains. We have to be supportive. He’s going to have a target on his back each and every night, and it’s something that us, his teammates, the coaching staff, the whole organization is to make sure we support him. There’s gonna be some nights he scores seven and it’s gonna be some nights he scores 25.”
Aside from his talent, another trait Cunningham specializes in is leadership. During the majority of the 2022-23 season, he was sidelined due to a shin injury. However, he stayed engaged with the team and supported them in their stressful season.
“Leader is an understatement for that guy, man,” center Jalen Duren told web editor Keith Langlois. “Since day one, he’s just been somebody you can lean on. It hurt us when he went down, of course, but his voice was always there.”
Of course, every winning organization has different functioning parts. The Pistons enjoy watching Cunningham build something with high-energy player Jaden Ivey and rim-protector Jalen Duren.
With new head coach J.B. Bickerstaff at the helm, this franchise could be headed in the right direction.
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