Where did Pistons' Cade Cunningham Fall in NBA Player Rankings?

Should the Pistons guard be ranked higher heading into the 2025 season?

Mar 29, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) brings the ball up court against Washington Wizards forward Corey Kispert (24) during the third quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images / Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images

This offseason, the Detroit Pistons handed Cade Cunningham the largest contract in franchise history. Coming off his best year as a pro, the franchise will continue to try and un-tap the former No. 1 pick in hopes of reaching his full potential.

Despite missing most of the 2023 campaign due to injury, Cunningham still managed to improve in his third season with the Pistons. He played in 62 games and posted averages of 22.7 PPG, 4.3 RPG, and 7.5 APG. Following this impressive uptick in production, some have started to peg the Pistons guard as a player who could blossom into a future star in the NBA.

Before the 2024-25 season gets underway, the people at HoopsHype compiled a ranking of the top 100 players in the league. Cunningham just barely squeaked into the top 40, slotting in at No. 37. Some of the players around him include Scottie Barnes, Jamal Murray, Julius Randle, and Alperen Sengun.

The 22-year-old still has all the tools that made him so enticing as a draft prospect – great size for a guard, three-level scoring, good playmaking vision and the ability to hit tough shots – he just has to learn to put it all together on a more consistent and efficient basis before he can take the next step up the point guard hierarchy.

As a jumbo-size point guard who can facilitate and score on all three levels, Cunningham has all the tools to be a star-level talent in the modern NBA. Just getting ready to turn 23, he is still years away from his prime. If Cunninham can continue on his current trajectory, he should be a steady riser on lists like this for years to come.

Cunningham truly started to show glimpses of star potential following the All-Star break last season. Between that streak and the upgrades the Pistons made this offseason, everything is in place for the young guard to have another career year.