Former Oklahoma State Star Wins NBA East Player of the Week
Oklahoma State’s most talented player ever is excelling at the next level.
Since being taken with the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, Cade Cunningham has been the Detroit Pistons’ franchise cornerstone. While the Pistons haven’t found any success throughout Cunningham’s tenure, things are beginning to turn around for the franchise.
After spending the past three seasons among the worst teams in the league, Detroit is sitting among the top 10 in the East and could be poised for a play-in appearance this year. As the Pistons try to navigate their way to a postseason appearance for the first time since 2019, weeks like Cunningham just had could go a long way.
On Monday, the NBA named Cunningham the Eastern Conference Player of the Week. Over the three-game slate last week, Cunningham averaged 27 points, 12.7 assists and 5.3 rebounds.
Although the Pistons had an embarrassing loss to the Utah Jazz, Cunningham’s performances still led the team to a 2-1 record, beating the Miami Heat and Phoenix Suns.
His best scoring performance in that stretch came in the loss against Utah, where he scored 33 points and added seven assists and four blocks. Meanwhile, a 28-point, 13-assist performance in Phoenix secured one of his team’s most impressive wins of the season.
This season, Cunningham is having the best season of his young career, averaging career highs across the board. In his fourth NBA season, he is averaging 24 points, 9.7 assists, and 7.1 rebounds.
His assist numbers are among the best in the NBA, but his 4.5 turnovers per game often sour his passing stats. Still, Cunningham is still growing and becoming the star Detroit hoped for when taking him first overall a few years ago.
As the Pistons improve and Cunningham continues to perform at this level, he could be well on his way to an All-Star appearance.
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Ivan is a sports media student at Oklahoma State University. He has covered OSU athletics since 2022 and also covers the OKC Thunder for Inside The Thunder and Thunderous Intentions.