CADE Cunningham

Tuesday's win over the Celtics was his fullest game so far. Cunningham put up 22 points, 4 rebounds and 8 assists in 35.3 minutes, finishing with a minus-1.0 plus-minus in a game Detroit still closed out. Four nights earlier he had 18 points, 1 rebound and 7 assists in 26.4 minutes against Toronto, a plus-5.0 night. Against Minnesota on October 14 he scored 14 with 2 rebounds and 9 assists in 25.1 minutes and posted a plus-11.0. The Phoenix opener was the rough one: 10 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist in 16.4 minutes at minus-14.0, though the Pistons won anyway. The pattern across the three wins since his return is steady playmaking, with 7, 9 and 8 assists in each game, and the scoring climbing as his minutes climb.

Last season Cunningham played 64 games for Detroit and averaged 23.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 9.9 assists in 33.9 minutes. He added 1.4 steals and 0.8 blocks against 3.7 turnovers. He shot 46.1 percent from the field, 34.2 percent from three and 81.2 percent from the line, good for a 56.4 true shooting percentage. His usage rate was 29.6 percent and the Pistons were plus-8.1 per game with him on the floor. Those are the numbers that define his role: the ball is in his hands, the assists come close to double figures, and the team wins his minutes. The early-season games have not reached that scoring level yet, but the assist numbers already line up with what he did a year ago.

Cunningham's last stretch of real playoff basketball came against the Cavaliers in May, and it showed both the best and the hardest parts of his game. On May 13 he scored 39 points with 7 rebounds and 9 assists in 48.1 minutes, a full overtime workload, in a loss where Detroit was minus-4.0 with him out there. Two nights later he had 21 points and 8 assists in 42.0 minutes and the Pistons won, with a plus-13.0. He opened the series on May 9 with a 27-point, 10-rebound, 10-assist triple-double in a loss. The series ended May 17 with a 13-point, 4-rebound, 5-assist night at minus-32.0. Those were heavy minutes, 36.8 to 48.1 a night, which is one reason the early rest day this October did not surprise anyone.

The notes coming out of Detroit in early October have not been about Cunningham himself. A Pistons Notes report on October 7 covered Thompson, Collins, Duren, Okorie and Holland, which tells you where the roster conversations are focused: the supporting pieces around the lead guard. Nothing in that report concerned Cunningham's status, his contract or his role, and nothing since has changed that. At 25 and entering his sixth year out of Oklahoma State, listed at 6-6 and 220 pounds, he is the fixed point on this roster. The question for the front office this season is less about him and more about which of those other names settles into a consistent spot next to him.

The main thing to track is his minutes. Detroit has brought him along slowly, from 16.4 minutes in the opener to 35.3 against Boston, and the next few games will show whether the Boston number becomes the norm. The second thing is his shooting. His field goal percentage last season was 46.1 and his three-point mark was 34.2, and the early scoring totals of 10, 14, 18 and 22 points are still below his 23.9 average from a year ago. The assists are already there. If the scoring catches up as the minutes stabilize, the 4-1 start has room to hold. He is healthy, he is cleared, and the one game he missed is the one game the Pistons lost.