Cade Cunningham’s vital role for the top-seeded team in the Eastern Conference is being recognized, as the NBA announced the Detroit Pistons point guard as Eastern Conference Player of the Month.
Detroit is hot out of the gate early in the NBA season with a 17-4 record that included a franchise-tying best 13-game winning streak.
Cunningham has averaged 28.2 points, 9.3 assists, and 6.5 rebounds per game. Even better has been his prowess in the fourth quarter.
Cade is averaging 9.9 points on 52.7% shooting, including 41.4% from deep. He is even better in clutch situations. Of the 33 players with at least 40 clutch minutes played this season, Cade trails only MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in points and free-throw attempts.
Head coach JB Bickerstaff also received acccolades, being named the Eastern Conference Coach of the Month. Bickerstaff had to juggle a series of extended injuries to key Detroit players, including Cunningham and Tobias Harris. He navigated it to the tune of the conference’s best record.
We will see how the rest of the season plays out, but after guiding the Pistons to NBA’s best one-season improvement in his first season last season, he looks poised to see his team take another significant leap forward this year.