Cade Cunningham’s growth helping Pistons to forget ‘quiet plane rides’ of 2023-24

SACRAMENTO — About 66 days on average. That’s how long author James Clear, in his book “Atomic Habits,” said it takes for a behavior to become a habitual.

That’s roughly the length of the Detroit Pistons’ historic losing streak a season ago. Their streak started on Oct. 30, 2023. After losing an NBA-record 28 consecutive games, capturing the pity of the nation, those Pistons finally got a win on Dec. 30. That’s 60 days of losing, plenty of time to develop the kind of bad habits that could sabotage a career.

But for Cade Cunningham, being the face of a team renowned for its addiction to defeats has the opposite effect.

“The losing streak almost made me more sure (of myself) — as backwards as that might sound,” Cunningham said as he sat on the purple baseline at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, wearing his blue Pistons practice shorts — hours before a 114-113, come-from-behind win over the Kings — while reminiscing over the losing streak. “I pushed myself to the limit so many times during that streak that I realized I was built for it.

“I knew once I came out on top of it, I was going to shut all of that hate up.”

Cunningham’s lowest times as a professional came during Detroit’s historic skid, but each loss instilled more belief. Each final buzzer delivered potential for pessimism, but for Cunningham, it prompted optimism. It was the lows then that helped produced the highs now.

His refusal to let repeated failure define him fueled a drive to finally snap last season’s losing streak, 14 of those losses coming at Little Caesars Arena. It’s been pivotal for the belief he’s instilled into a Pistons squad that’s already matched last season’s win total — in 51 fewer games.

He deems it an unshakeable confidence. Perhaps it can come across as delusion to others, but it’s gotten him to this point.

With Detroit (14-17) currently ninth in the Eastern Conference standings and Cunningham’s absence of doubt, meaningful basketball in the spring is possible for the first time since the 2018-19 season, when he was a junior at Montverde Academy. And now, the 23-year-old face of the franchise has never been more ready for the challenge.

The habits he’s built have been productive, not destructive. His mentality fortified, not folded. His childhood dreams actualized, not erased.

“I always wanted to be in the NBA, and I never saw myself not being a star,” Cunningham said. “I wanted to be a star. I’m on track, and I’ve just got to continue to grow, continue to get better and continue to learn.”

Last December, Cunningham’s eyebrows were tense as he bit his lip with a puzzled look on his face. Kristaps Porziņģis had just knocked down his second free throw to put the Boston Celtics up by eight. The Pistons once held a 19-point halftime lead. It seemed their unwanted time in the NBA spotlight was coming to an end, and a 27-game losing streak would die in Boston.

But it didn’t die. Detroit gave it all back, eventually losing in overtime.

“That game hurt to lose,” Cunningham said. “I think just the streak in general … a lot of long car rides home, a lot of quiet plane rides.

“That’s a depressing thing to go through. Every day going into the building and everybody just has this dark cloud over their heads. It was tough to play through, but it’s good to be on the other side of that.”

Cunningham finds refuge in fatherhood. The Pistons had their hearts broken in Boston on Dec. 28, 2023. The following day, his daughter, Riley, turned 5 years old. The day after that, Cunningham put up 30 points and 12 assists in a win over the Toronto Raptors to end the streak.

“That’s my motivation: my daughter and my family in general,” Cunningham told The Athletic. “To be able to put them in position to build an empire.”

Cunningham’s unwavering belief in himself breathes life into a future not only for his daughter, but also his entire lineage. His belief is a recurring theme, just as it was when a Hobbs meter measured time as he sat in silence at roughly 35,00 feet. Cunningham never cowered.

Last season, a Pistons’ mid-February trip to Phoenix resulted in a 16-point loss. Cunningham finished with eight assists, four rebounds, five turnovers and only 13 points on 5-of-11 shooting in 26 minutes of action. This season in Phoenix, Cunningham finished with 28 points on 9-of-19 shooting and had 13 assists to four turnovers in a win against the Suns — including a signature 3-ball over Kevin Durant to ice the game.

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Cunningham is on pace for his best pro season, averaging career highs in points (24.2), assists (9.7), rebounds (6.9), 3-point percentage (37.3) and 3-point attempts (6.6). His six triple-doubles trail only Nikola Jokić (11) and LeBron James (eight) for the NBA lead.

“I’ve made some plays this year that I haven’t seen from myself in a long time,” Cunningham said. “I’ll watch a full game, and I’m like, ‘I was really hooping that game.’ I think it’s just the steady growth for me. I don’t really put a cap on myself as far as what I’m able to be. I just want to continue to get better.”

Cunningham was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week for the first time in his career during the week of Dec. 16, boasting averages of 27 points (49.2 percent shooting and 40.9 percent from 3), 12.7 assists, 5.3 rebounds, 2.3 blocks and a steal in 39 minutes during a three-game span. He not only became the first Piston to win Player of the Week since Saddiq Bey in February 2021, but also led Detroit to wins over the Miami Heat and the Suns.

San Antonio Spurs forward-center Victor Wembanyama and Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham have been named the NBA Western and Eastern Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for Week 9 of the 2024-25 season (Dec. 16-22). pic.twitter.com/SMZeaIlUQe

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) December 23, 2024

 

Having a healthy offseason with the absence of any rehabilitation, as Cunningham had in the past, also has helped.

“It’s a blessing. It’s everything I’ve wanted,” he said with a smile. “This offseason was a big offseason for me to be healthy and really get to work throughout. It was a huge offseason.

“It’s just good that we’re getting to win and I’m helping my team. That’s the thing I’ve wanted to do the most.”

In “Atomic Habits”, Clear details how to get one percent better each day. No matter how embarrassing the lopsided losses were, no matter how much the Pistons may have felt like the laughingstock of the league in 2023, Cunningham has found ways to get one percent better daily.

Now, he’s on the brink of ascending into a young star, and he’s got Detroit on the verge of competitive hoops for the first time since he’s been in the association.

(Photo: Rocky Widner / NBAE via Getty Images)