{"id":162213,"date":"2025-10-11T07:00:59","date_gmt":"2025-10-11T11:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=162213"},"modified":"2025-10-11T10:00:10","modified_gmt":"2025-10-11T14:00:10","slug":"cade-cunningham-cooks-preseason-all-nba","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/10\/11\/cade-cunningham-cooks-preseason-all-nba\/","title":{"rendered":"Cade Cunningham Cooks In Preseason, Ready To Serve Season"},"content":{"rendered":"

It only took two preseason games for Detroit Pistons<\/a> guard Cade Cunningham<\/a> to show he\u2019s locked in for the 2025-26 NBA season. Coming off a $224 million contract extension<\/a> signed in the summer of 2024, Cunningham entered training camp with something to prove \u2014 and early signs suggest he\u2019s more than ready to deliver.<\/p>\n

After a breakout 2024-25 campaign in which he played 70 games, Cunningham averaged 26.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 9.1 assists. Those numbers earned him his first All-Star appearance, his first All-NBA selection<\/a>, and a top-10<\/a> finish in MVP voting \u2014 a clear signal that he\u2019s emerging as one of the league\u2019s premier young stars.<\/p>\n

The Pistons, too, took a noticeable step forward. They pushed the New York Knicks to six games in the playoffs and made key offseason additions<\/a> aimed at building around their franchise cornerstone. With momentum on their side and expectations climbing, Cunningham and the Pistons have become one of the NBA\u2019s most intriguing teams entering the new season.<\/p>\n

With the regular season just weeks away, what is Cunningham doing that has Pistons fans so optimistic? And is his strong preseason performance a sign of things to come? Let\u2019s dive in.<\/p>\n

Cade Cunningham Cooks In Preseason, Ready To Serve Season<\/h2>\n

Cade Cunningham: Preseason Tempo Boss<\/h3>\n

One of Cunningham\u2019s greatest strengths is his ability to control the tempo of the game. He plays at his own pace, never rushed \u2014 no matter the defensive pressure or the attention thrown his way. Whether it\u2019s off the dribble or in pick-and-roll situations, Cunningham has a knack for getting to his spots when he wants, and this preseason has been a continuation of that trait.<\/p>\n

In just 18.5 minutes per game, he\u2019s averaging 23.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 2.0 steals. Even more impressive is his efficiency \u2014 shooting 64% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc. These aren\u2019t empty preseason numbers, either. Cunningham looks poised, polished, and entirely in control.<\/p>\n

Frankly, he doesn\u2019t need to play in the final two preseason games to validate what Pistons fans already know: last season was no fluke \u2014 and Cunningham has officially arrived.<\/p>\n

Poise Over Panic<\/h3>\n

One of the most encouraging signs this preseason? Cunningham\u2019s improved decision-making<\/a>. Turnovers were one of the few blemishes on his breakout season. He committed 309 \u2014 third-most in the NBA \u2014 and his 4.4 per-game average trailed only Trae Young<\/a>. In the playoffs, that number jumped to 5.3 per game.<\/p>\n

But so far in the preseason, Cunningham looks far more composed as the lead initiator. He\u2019s playing with pace and purpose \u2014 and the results are showing. In two games, he has committed just four turnovers total, including only one in Thursday\u2019s 117\u2013111 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.<\/p>\n

The difference? Poise. Cunningham isn\u2019t just playing fast \u2014 he\u2019s playing smart. He\u2019s reading the floor, keeping defenders off balance, and protecting the ball without sacrificing aggression. If this efficient, steady Cunningham continues, both he and the Pistons are destined for something special.<\/p>\n

The Last Word<\/h3>\n

If this preseason version of Cade Cunningham is the one the Detroit Pistons are getting in the regular season, the rest of the NBA better be paying attention. He\u2019s stronger, brighter, more efficient \u2014 and clearly more confident. The game has slowed down for him, and he\u2019s using that to speed things up for Detroit. The preseason may be a small sample, but the signs are undeniable: Cunningham has taken another leap.<\/p>\n

If this leap continues into the season, the Eastern Conference and the entire NBA will take notice. The Pistons have officially entered their next phase. With a franchise cornerstone playing at an All-NBA level, an improved roster behind him, and momentum already building, the Pistons aren\u2019t just hoping to take another step forward this season \u2014 they\u2019re expecting to. The Cade Cunningham era has arrived. And it\u2019s only just getting started.<\/p>\n

\u00a9 Benny Sieu-Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It only took two preseason games for Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham to show he\u2019s locked in for the 2025-26 NBA season. Coming off a $224 million contract extension signed in the summer of 2024, Cunningham entered training camp with something to prove \u2014 and early signs suggest he\u2019s more than ready to deliver. After […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5168,"featured_media":162266,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,10,62],"tags":[3965],"class_list":["post-162213","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-pistons","category-nba","tag-cade-cunningham"],"modified_by":"Zach Kircher","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162213","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5168"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=162213"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162213\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":162341,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162213\/revisions\/162341"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/162266"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=162213"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=162213"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=162213"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}