The Detroit Pistons Are Awful, But Cade Cunningham Rules

I'm trying so hard to get into the Detroit Pistons. And I know I haven't talked much about them. Part of me doesn't feel like I'm necessarily qualified. I am not a huge NBA guy and haven't been for a while. Of all the franchises in Detroit, the one that has frustrated me the most over the last decade has been the Pistons. And before I rip into them a little bit, I have to say I do believe in the direction that they're going. I like Troy Weaver, and I think what they're attempting to do, which is suck for draft picks and build around those draft picks, which is a philosophy they should've maintained about a decade ago, is going to end up working. With that said, this current Detroit Pistons team stinks. I know that they've had some lousy luck. Jerami Grant appears to be out for about six weeks, a crushing loss for a terrible team. But they play a hideous brand of basketball. With that said, I continue to be so impressed by Cade Cunningham. He's precisely the caliber of player that Detroit fans will fall in love with for a long time. He has a killer instinct on and off the court. There are things that he needs to work on. The jump shot has been sporadic throughout the year, though it's hard for me to get upset about that. The guy is a rookie, after all. He's still adjusting to life in the league. And he's had a few games with some ridiculous turnovers. At the same time, watching Cade Cunningham play for the Detroit Pistons is like watching a Juilliard-trained actor perform in a high school play. It's just apparent that this guy has what it takes, while so many of his teammates don't. 

I can't recommend anybody watch the Detroit Pistons right now. It's a painful experience. It's very similar to how I felt about the Tigers in 2018 through 2020. It wasn't like they played in a bad market or a poor arena/ballpark, but the product itself was cringe-inducing. That's kind of how I feel with the Pistons right now. Things are still rough, but it is clear that they've taken one giant step forward, and that's that they found their guy. I never doubted this. Cade Cunningham was a huge prospect coming out of Oklahoma State. But as bad as this team is, I take a level of comfort knowing that the next time they're good, Cade Cunningham will be at the guy. He'll be their best player. He just has it.