Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham experienced a true leap in performance last season, reaching a major milestone by being selected to his first All-Star Game.
He also grabbed a spot on the All-NBA Third Team and even finished seventh in the MVP race, signaling that he’s entering the upper tier of players in the league.
Patterson notes that during this preseason, Cunningham is exploring fresh ways to elevate his impact even further, not settling for what he accomplished previously.
In Detroit’s playoff matchup with the Knicks last spring, he showed moments of hesitation when it came to pulling up from three off the dribble. That reluctance hasn’t shown up at all in the preseason action.
“I want to shoot more threes, the highest quality possible,” he said. “I’m confident, I feel good about my game right now.” His determination to expand his offensive arsenal is clear from that statement alone, as he’s now embracing a more assertive mindset from long range.
Last year, he finished 27th in the league in attempts off the dribble from deep during the regular season and jumped to 11th in the playoffs.
However, his percentages reflected the growing pains of that shot profile, converting only 33.8% during the regular stretch and a rough 16.0% during the postseason, which stood as the lowest efficiency among players taking at least four pull-up threes per game.
Despite those numbers, the Pistons see potential impact if he turns that pull-up jumper into a consistent threat.
If that shot becomes a reliable part of his toolbox, it could dramatically open up Detroit’s spacing and force defenses to adjust, creating more opportunities for both Cunningham and his teammates in their offensive flow.
Ausar Thompson has been given expanded ball-handling duties, plus more on the Pistons. https://t.co/9XyKjMpU8R
— Hoops Rumors (@HoopsRumors) October 13, 2025
