Cade Cunningham’s growth helps the Pistons forget about “silent flights” in 2023-24

On By Littum

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

That’s roughly the length of the Detroit Pistons’ historic losing streak a season ago. Their streak started on October 30, 2023. After losing an NBA-record 28 games in a row, and capturing the nation’s pity, these Pistons finally got a win on December 30. That’s 60 days of losses, plenty of time to develop the kinds of bad habits that could sabotage a career.

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

“The losing streak almost made me more confident (in myself) — as backwards as that sounds,” Cunningham said as he sat on the purple baseline at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, wearing his blue Pistons practice shorts — hours before a 114-113 , come-from-behind victory over the Kings – while recalling 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 that once I got out of it, I was going to shut up all that hate.”

Cunningham’s lowest moments as a pro came during Detroit’s historic skid, but each loss instilled more belief. Every final buzzer offered the potential for pessimism, but for Cunningham it brought optimism. It was the lows then that helped produce the highs now.

His refusal to let repeated failures define him fueled a desire to finally snap last season’s losing streak, with 14 of those losses coming at Little Caesars Arena. That has been crucial to the belief he has instilled in a Pistons team that has already matched last season’s win total — in 51 fewer games.

He considers it an unshakable self-confidence. Perhaps it may seem delusional to others, but it has brought him to this point.


Cunningham (2) and Jaden Ivey celebrate after a 114-113 road win against Sacramento on Thursday. (Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)

With Detroit (14-17) currently in ninth place in the Eastern Conference and Cunningham’s absence a doubt, meaningful spring basketball 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 has built have been productive, not destructive. His mentality fortified, not folded. His childhood dreams were 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 my way and I just have to keep growing, keep getting better and keep learning.”

Last December, Cunningham’s eyebrows were furrowed 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 ahead by eight. The Pistons once held a 19-point halftime lead. It looked like 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 and eventually lost in overtime.

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

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

Cunningham finds refuge in fatherhood. The Pistons had their hearts broken in Boston on December 28, 2023. The following day, his daughter, Riley, turned 5 years old. The next day, Cunningham posted 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 shared Athletics. “To be able to enable them to build an empire.”

Cunningham’s unwavering belief in himself breathes life into a future not only for his daughter, but also for his entire family. His conviction is a recurring theme, as it was when a Hobbs meter measured time while he sat in silence for about 35.00 feet. Cunningham never backed down.

Last season, a Pistons trip to Phoenix in mid-February resulted in a 16-point loss. Cunningham finished with eight assists, four rebounds, five turnovers and just 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 attempt (6,6). His six triple-doubles are only behind 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 whole game and I’ll think, ‘I really wanted that game.’ I think it’s just the constant growth for me. I don’t really put a cap on myself as far as being able to be. I just want to keep getting better.”

Cunningham was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week for the first time in his career the week of Dec. 16, averaging 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 over three games. He not only became the first Piston to win Player of the Week since Saddiq Bey in February 2021, but also led Detroit to victories over the Miami Heat and Suns.

Having a healthy offseason with the absence of any type of rehab like Cunningham had in the past has also helped.

“It’s a blessing. It’s everything I’ve wanted,” he said with a smile. “This offseason was a great offseason for me to be healthy and really come to work all the way through. It was a huge offseason.

“It’s just good that we’re winning and I’m helping my team. That’s what I wanted the most.”

In “Atomic Habits”, clearly details how to get one percent better every day. No matter how embarrassing the lopsided losses were, no matter how much the Pistons may have felt like the laughing stock of the league in 2023, Cunningham has found ways to get one percent better on a daily basis.

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

(Photo: Rocky Widner / NBAE via Getty Images)