The Detroit Pistons are perhaps the most exciting young team in the NBA, and it's all thanks to Cade Cunningham. He broke out as a first-time All-Star this season and made the All-NBA team, and it's expected that he will lead the Pistons deep into the playoffs next season.
In the NBA, there is a clear hierarchy of young guards. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic, both MVP frontrunners, lead the way, although Cunningham is ahead of some players who looked to be better than him earlier in their careers.
Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham
Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham
© Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
Lou Williams, after winning three Sixth Man of the Year Awards, knows talent when he sees it, and he thinks Cunningham will have a better career than Paolo Banchero and LaMelo Ball.
"I got Cade still having the highest ceiling, Paolo was right there, and then I got to cut LaMelo Ball as having the highest ceiling," listed Lou Williams.
"This was a tough one. All of these guys still got a lot of basketball to be played, a lot of things to accomplish in their careers. But for the most part, I feel like I got a good sense of where LaMelo Ball is in his career and what type of player that he's going to be. We're still writing a book on these other two guys. So I'm going to start Cade. I'm going to bench Paolo. And I'm going to have to cut LaMelo."
Both Banchero and Cunningham have led their teams to the playoffs, and both have given a higher seed some trouble. Ball, on the other hand, struggles to command his team and stay on the court.
All three stars play in the East, although as the years tick by, the conference will likely run through Detroit and Orlando, once again passing Charlotte over.
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