The Detroit Pistons have been one of the better turnaround stories in the NBA this season.
At 39-32, the Pistons sit as the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference.
They're up five games on the No. 7 seeded Atlanta Hawks and will likely avoid the NBA Play-In Tournament, barring a late-season collapse.
Draymond Green makes massive Cade Cunningham proclamation
Golden State Warriors power forward Draymond Green knows grit and talent when he sees it.
Green has had a resurgence of his own this season. Since the Warriors' acquisition of Jimmy Butler, Green has picked it up. Because of his grit over the past few weeks, he's crept up to second in the Defensive of the Year Award odds.
"I'm gonna say it here first - Cade Cunningham will bring a championship back to Detroit," said Green. "He's got the talent, he's got the demeanor, he's got the size, which a lot of people underrate. He's got the size to put a team on his shoulders."
Draymon Green on Cade Cunningham
"Cade Cunningham will bring championship back to Detroit.I think he will I think I see it happening .He got the mentality He got the talent He got the talent He got the demeanor He got the size which a lot of people underrate He got the size to… pic.twitter.com/OS6dlkyYKY
— Pistons Talk (@Pistons__Talk) March 22, 2025
Cunningham has done exactly that this season.
He's averaging 25.7 points per game. He's also made sure his teammates get involved, as he averages 9.2 assists per game.
Behind Jalen Duren, who averages a double-double, Cunningham is tied for second on the team with 6.1 rebounds per game.
As a result, Cunningham is almost a shoo-in for the NBA's Most Improved Player odds. He has -400 odds to take home the hardware, which translates to 80% implied probability.
If the Pistons are able to navigate the waters and avoid the NBA Play-In Tournament, it would be the first time since 2019 that the Pistons have made the playoffs, but were eliminated in four games by their division rivals, the Milwaukee Bucks.
Prior to that, the Pistons have not had a playoff win since the 2007-2008 season.
If the season ended today, the Pistons would take on the New York Knicks. In three games this season, the Pistons are 2-1 against the Knicks, so advancing to the second round isn't out of the question for Pistons fans.
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This story was originally published March 22, 2025 at 6:10 PM.