There is a lot of doom and gloom among Detroit Pistons fans. Many were expecting splashy, blockbuster moves this summer that would have catapulted them into title favorite status. These upgrades never came, but there are still plenty of reasons to be optimistic about Detroit's chances next season.
The biggest of them all is Cade Cunningham. The NBA is still a superstar-dominated league, and it is nearly impossible to win a title if you don't have one of the top-ten players in the league. Fortunately for the Pistons, they have one of those players. In fact, they may have the best player in the Eastern Conference.
Who is even in the running for that title in the East? The consensus best three players in the league are all in the West: Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Victor Wembanyama. Two other sure-fire top-10 players, Luka Doncic and Anthony Edwards, are also in the West.
This leaves Jalen Brunson, Kawhi Leonard (if we assume the trade to Toronto goes through), Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum, and Donovan Mitchell as the only players with a reasonable argument to be in the top ten and ahead of Cunningham.
Yes, Cade Cunningham is the best in the East
In reality, none of these players has as good an argument to be the best player in the conference as Cunningham.
It will be easy to anoint Brunson as the King of the East after his playoff heroics. He was incredible, to be sure. But he is also an undersized point guard with serious defensive concerns. He is a ball-dominant offensive player who has a very specific playstyle. The Knicks did an incredible job surrounding him with physical, defense-first wings and shooters. On a less talented and perfectly constructed team, Brunson may not look as dominant as he does in New York.
When they are healthy and available, Antetokounmpo and Leonard might be better than Cunningham. However, can you really trust Leonard to be healthy for the duration of a two-month playoff run? When was the last time Antetokounmpo started and finished the postseason healthy? Given that Kawhi just turned 35 and Giannis turns 32 in a few months, it's difficult to see them carry their teams to postseason glory.
Pre-Achilles tear Tatum is a better player than Cunningham. Whether that player will ever be back, however, is a different question. Tatum is one of the most plug-and-play superstars ever, seamlessly fitting on any team. Excellent defender, shooter, and individual scorer, Tatum could win the throne back if he proves that he is fully back to his pre-injury self.
Mitchell has carried the Cavs to a lot of regular-season success over the years and a Conference Finals appearance last year, but his teams consistently come up short in the postseason. Mitchell is a great offensive player, but his defensive limitations put a ceiling on his teams.
Cade Cunningham's defense separates him from other superstars
And that is where Cunningham separates himself from the rest of these stars. None of these superstars carries the two-way load that Cunningham does. Among stars with usage rates as high as Cade's, no one defends as hard as the Pistons star. Not only is Cade one of the best individual defenders on this list, but he is also an excellent help defender, forcing a ton of steals and blocking shots at the rim.
This type of effort and intensity can be infectious. Teams get their clues from their superstars. If your franchise player is giving his all night in and night out, every one on the team will give their best. That is how the Pistons won 60 games last season, something Brunson or Doncic's teams have never done in their careers.
Offensively, Cunningham isn't as efficient as some of the players on this list. This is largely due to the incredibly limited offensive players he plays with. The lack of shooting and spacing on the Pistons makes things difficult for Cunningham. Yet, Detroit still had a 121.4 offensive rating when Cade was on the floor last season, which is as good as the second-best offense in the entire league, per Cleaning the Glass.
Cunningham has the ability to carry his team to an elite offense on his own. The combination of his size, strength, ball-handling, playmaking, and off-the-dribble shooting is close to being unparalleled in the NBA.
The 24-year-old star continues to get underrated. The offense doesn't always look pretty in Detroit because of the ecosystem. But Cunningham gets things done while providing high-level defensive impact. This makes him the best player in the East, and this alone gives the Pistons a chance to go all the way to the NBA Finals next season.
Add us as a preferred source on Google