Cade Cunningham
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Cade Cunningham draws Hollywood comparison from Pistons head coach
Cade Cunningham has taken a superstar leap this season, earning his second All-Star selection while fueling the Detroit Pistons to the best record in the NBA at the All-Star break.
The former No. 1 pick has drawn major consideration for MVP honors and appears primed to take over as one of the league’s next-generation stars.
Pistons head coach J.B Bickerstaff has taken note of his ascension, and believes the Texas-born guard belongs in the same tier as prime Dwyane Wade.
During a podcast appearance on Road Trippin, Bickerstaff cited that Cunningham possesses a similar “wow” factor and circus-shot ability to the Miami Heat legend.
“It’s like one night you’ll see something, you’ll be like, ‘Damn that boy’s cold.’ And then you’ll see something a week later, you’ll be like, ‘God damn.’
“I remember like Dwayne Wade, right? Like when Dwayne Wade became Flash, like I remember that year specifically when he was like falling down backwards and just throwing the ball up over his head, and it was just going in,” Bickerstaff said.
Pistons HC Says Cade is “the One” Like The Matrix’s Neo
Cade Cunningham
GettyCade Cunningham has led the Pistons the No. 1 seed in East entering the All-Star break
Bickerstaff didn’t limit his comparisons of Cunningham to basketball, as he also sees shades of The Matrix’s Neo in the budding star.
Another analogy he offered was to the 1999 movie “The Matrix,” in which Keanu Reeves’s character Neo is referred to as “the one,” which Bickerstaff notes is how Cunningham views himself.
“Like Cade is in that stage now where he just believes that he’s different. You and I were laughing about the Matrix, right? When Neo believed he was the one. Like Cade believes he’s the one now and like his game is translating it,” Bickerstaff said.
When asked about the comparison, Cunningham noted he isn’t sure exactly when he figured out how to succeed in the NBA. The two-time All-Star claimed that the game is slowing down around him, which is allowing him to run the offense more efficiently.
“I don’t know. I feel like everything has just slowed down,” said Cunningham.
During the offseason, he bulked up using yoga and mixed martial arts to gain strength and increased flexibility. Five years of being at the top of opposing teams’ scouting reports has prepared him to manipulate any defense he encounters.
“Every year I feel more and more sharp. I feel like I’m one of the best processors to have the ball.”
After finishing seventh in MVP voting last year, Cunningham has continued to emerge as a league superstar this season.
Cunningham is averaging 25.3 points, 9.6 assists, and 5.6 rebounds per game while shooting 46.2 percent from the field and 33 percent from three-point range. He’s helped Detroit get to a 40-13 record, putting them first in the Eastern Conference.
Pistons HC Believes Cade is League MVP
Cade Cunningham
GettyCade Cunningham leads the Pistons in points and assists this season
While he finished top ten in MVP voting last year, Cunningham has a much stronger chance of being a finalist for the award this season.
Run It Back
Cade Cunningham is the perfect face for the Pistons’ resurgence 🤩
“Everybody understands the assignment in Detroit…I like everything about Cade being the head of the snake…you don’t want to play with him or disrespect him.” – @TeamLou23 @MichelleDBeadle | @ChandlerParsons
If it were up to Pistons head coach Bickerstaff, Cunningham would be the easy decision for the notorious award.
“If the season ended today, Cade Cunningham’s the MVP hands down,” Bickerstaff emphasized. “If you have a guy — and if the MVP is the person that’s most important to winning with the record that we have and the weight that he carries — there’s no doubt in my mind that he’s the MVP if the season were to end today.”
“You talk about a guy who, on any given night, will guard the other team’s best player and still have to carry the burden that he carries on the offensive end for us. You talk about a guy who never takes away from his teammates, only gives to his teammates. He doesn’t suffocate his teammates so that they can’t grow. He gives them opportunity to grow, opportunity to spread their wings,” the Pistons coach added.