He is one of the rising stars in the National Basketball Association, but can his game be even better?
Cade Cunningham, 23, was the No. 1 overall pick from Oklahoma State in 2021 NBA Draft to the Detroit Pistons.
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He made his first All-Star team last season after having a career year. Cunningham played in 70 games (70 starts) while averaging 35 minutes per matchup. He shot a career-high 46.9 percent from the field and 35.6% from 3-point range.
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The 6-foot-6, 220-pounder totaled 26.1 points a game as a point guard. Cunningham guided the Pistons to the Eastern Conference playoffs in his fourth season- recording 25 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 8.7 assists in six games.
Rajon Rondo, a two-time NBA Champion (2008, 2020), really likes Cunningham’s game. He mentioned on Run It Back, the flagship NBA show for FanDuel, that Cunningham needs to reach one final level to become a complete player.
Rajon Rondo on wanting to work with Cade Cunningham.
“If I can get a Cade to understand how to manage the game, because he’s a 3-level scorer. He can manipulate the game on both ends of the floor. I think he could become, you know, that one type of point guard. It’s only a… pic.twitter.com/0b0OdLi5zs
— Pistons Talk (@Pistons__Talk) July 29, 2025
“If I can get a Cade to understand how to manage the game, because he’s a 3-level scorer,” Rondo said. “He can manipulate the game on both ends of the floor. I think he could become, you know, that one type of point guard. It’s only a couple of tweaks.”
Rondo stated if Cunningham had another superstar with him, then he would not have to get 30 points a night.
He is a high-level scorer, but Cunningham gets it done on defense too. Cunningham averaged a steal and nearly a block per game during the regular season, while getting roughly two steals (1.8) and two blocks (1.3) per game in the playoffs.
Hopefully, Cunningham grows into managing the game more.
Stephen M. Smith is a writer for Ball Exclusives. You can follow him on X via @CoachingMSmith.
