With Cade Cunningham and Ausar Thompson locked up long-term, the Detroit Pistons have three of the top 100 players in the NBA
After winning 60 games in the regular season and securing the top seed in the East last year, the Detroit Pistons are on the receiving end of considerably more respect ahead of the 2026-27 campaign. Now, the Pistons faltered in the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Cleveland Cavaliers, which pointed to clear flaws in terms of roster construction, but Detroit’s three franchise players cemented themselves as some of the best in the league.
For Cade Cunningham, the Pistons’ floor general made another All-Star team, finished as an All-NBA First Team selection and finished in fifth for MVP after battling through a late-season collapsed lung. Cunningham is unquestionably the head of the snake in Detroit and the metronome for hoops in the Motor City.
Each year, ESPN releases a list of their top 100 players in the NBA, and they’ve outlined all but the top 10. Cunningham has not been ranked thus far, which means he is pencilled in for a position among the 10 best players in the league. Given his finish in the MVP race, that math checks out and should come with little opposition.
Moving down the line to Jalen Duren, the big man took a monstrous leap forward with 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game last season en route to an All-NBA Third Team selection. Now, Duren’s inclusion may have been influenced by the league’s new 65-game rule, but his production was invaluable to the Pistons last year nonetheless.
Over the offseason, Detroit has worked to sign Duren to a long-term extension as a restricted free agent, but neither side appears willing to budge all that much. Duren is attempting to command near-max money after his career year, but the Pistons are pushing for a slightly more team-friendly deal in the five-year, $200 million range. Despite the contentious back-and-forth that’s developed during the summer, Duren is still one of the top centers in the league at 22-years old, so the Pistons are very much hoping to retain their All-Star big man, who ranked No. 33 in ESPN’s new ranking.
Sliding down to Ausar Thompson, the Pistons were able to work out a five-year, $155 million rookie scale extension with the defensive ace last week. Thompson, who made the All-Defensive First Team last year while finishing in third-place for Defensive Player of the Year, is teeming with athleticism and tenacity at the point-of-attack. Though Thompson’s jumper (and offensive game writ large) lags behind his defensive effort, the soon-to-be fourth-year wing is dynamic in his ability to run the break and slash to the basket.
From a development standpoint, the Pistons would benefit immensely if Thompson refines his jump shot and free throw routine. Both areas are of critical importance when it comes to impactful two-way play, so Detroit’s defensive menace still has a bit of room to grow, but he’s perfectly suited for his role as a defensive stopper and disrupter for the time being. And for that body of work, Thompson appears at No. 59 of the star-studded list.
If John Collins is able to integrate into the Pistons system quickly and has the type of season that he’s expected to as a stretch four with above-the-rim finishing ability, then the new Detroit power forward could very well find his way into the top 100 next time around.
