Pistons star Cade Cunningham spoke about the team’s need to get stops in order to succeed.
Throughout the Pistons four-point season-opening loss to the Bulls on Wednesday, Cade Cunningham went through periods where he looked to be in complete control as a scorer before experiencing prolonged lulls away from the scoring column.
Cunningham did score 23 points last night, but much of that work was delivered at the start of the first quarter and the end of the fourth quarter. Between those two points, Cunningham worked to keep his teammates involved with 10 assists, but he was rather inefficient as a shooter with an 8-for-24 mark from the field. Now, that’s an uncharacteristic rate for Cunningham, who also missed four shots from the free throw line, but it is part of how the Pistons’ loss unfolded.
After the game, Cunningham provided his take on what transpired in Detroit’s road loss to the Bulls.
“We just allowed them to be too free,” Cunningham said. “We allowed them to be in the paint too much. They made plays, you know what I’m saying? It took us too long to put a stand to it. It’s hard to say. It’s the first game. We’ve just got to be better. We’ve got to come out with more urgency. It’s the year that we want to get something done, so it’s not an appropriate way to start.”
With ambitious goals for the 2025-26 season, the Pistons will need to find alternatives to turn to if Cunningham is not shooting at an optimal level. On Wednesday night, Isaiah Stewart helped shoulder the load with 20 points, and Ron Holland II chipped in 19 points of his own, but Cunningham, who went one-for-six from distance, was not efficient enough with the opportunities he had.
“It didn’t even feel like it was like that,” Cunningham said. “I felt like I was solid, like I was in the groove. Sometimes it’ll just be that way and you miss some gimme ones, some open shots and stuff like that. Things can build up on you, but I feel great.”
But apart from a dismal night shooting from the field, Cunningham helped orchestrate an impressive Detroit comeback late in the second half. At one juncture, the Pistons trailed by 23 points, but Cunningham helped Detroit lock in on defense, and that in turned helped spark a few fast break opportunities for the squad.
“We got stops,” Cunningham said. “Shoot, the first three quarters we gave up just too many points. When we get stops, like coach said, that’s when we play at our best and things start to click when we start doing it.”
The Pistons will have one day to regroup before traveling to Houston for an 8 pm tip-off against the Rockets on Friday, Oct. 24.
For more information on the latest Detroit Pistons team or player news, follow @EricJRutter on X for continued basketball coverage.