Detroit Pistons' Cade Cunningham has been spot-on in the NBA this season. The Pistons are firmly on top of the Eastern Conference after finishing sixth last time out with a 44-38 campaign, one win away from the overall record.
And well, the contributions of MVP contender Cunningham are a major reason behind that improvement. But while his offensive strengths are well-documented, Jalen Duren also pointed to an aspect of Cunningham's game that doesn't get talked about enough, according to a post on X by journalist Jeremy Otto.
Jalen Duren says Cade is a great two-way player, even though everyone talks about his offensive skills. 3 more blocks tonight #piston pic.twitter.com/uLT4qph6ef
- Jeremy Otto (@JeremyOttoPxP) 26 February 2026
"Yeah, I mean, 6-7, I mean, doing exactly what he's supposed to do. He's a great defender, he's a great scoring player, you know people know him for being a point-guard, for being a scorer but he's a great two-way player. He's been doing that all season, so it's nothing new. I know when I see him one-on-one on a fast break with a smaller guard, I'm Likes his chances,” Duren said.
While that may be true, it's hard to praise a player's defensive efforts when he's averaging 25.3 points, 9.8 assists and 5.8 rebounds per appearance. However, Cunningham is averaging about 1.5 steals and 0.9 blocks per game.
He boasts a solid defensive rating of around 109.5 while producing 4 defensive rebounds per game, and is undoubtedly making his presence felt on the other end of the court as well. However, Duren may still feel that it is Cunningham's offensive ability that gets talked about the most, and for very good reason.
