DETROIT -- As Cade Cunningham watched the 2024 Western Conference semifinals on TV, seeing Anthony Edwards outduel Nikola Jokić fired up his competitive spirit.
He was just a month removed from a 14-win season that was a stain on the Detroit Pistons' storied franchise. Cunningham was fixated on the TV, experiencing FOMO as two of the game's best players went head-to-head over seven games. He grabbed his phone and reached out to someone he knew would understand him at that moment.
"I was at the gas station when he texted me," Pistons assistant coach Jarrett Jack told The Athletic. "He was like, 'Yo, man. This is basketball. I have to be a part of this.' That probably sounds crazy to someone who's thinking, 'This is where your mind is after winning 14 games?' "
It showed Jack that Cunningham didn't want a break after a franchise-worst season. Jack could see how engaged Cunningham was in the conversation, so he matched Cunningham's enthusiasm and set expectations for his young star's growth.
"I wrote him back and I was like, 'Man, it looks fun, doesn't it?' " Jack said. "'High-stakes basketball. Everybody's eyes are on you. This is where guys start to create their story, their legacy. It's very much attainable.'
"My one question to him was, 'Now, what's required?' Because with any goal, there are requirements attached to it."
Cunningham and Jack spent the next hour texting and compiling a list of what would be required for Cunningham to spearhead Detroit's turnaround. With each requirement, Jack reminded Cunningham he'd be there to hold him accountable.
Roughly two years later, Cunningham has held up his end of the bargain.
After averaging 9.1 assists last season, Cunningham's ability to process the game took another leap. He jumped to 9.9 assists and had a career-high 43.0 assist percentage this season. Cunningham's assist percentage was the highest of any point guard in the NBA this season who logged at least 1,000 minutes, per CleaningTheGlass.
Jokić was the only player to play at least 1,000 minutes and have a higher assist percentage than Cunningham. The most meaningful area of growth for Cunningham this season has been his ability to manipulate defensive game plans built to stop him. It's the reason he's leading the Eastern Conference's top team into the postseason and not watching from home.
"It's just a testament to the kind of guy he is," teammate Jalen Duren said. "He's super unselfish. Obviously, we know he's an MVP candidate; he's a highly-touted player in this league.
"So he could be trying to go get 30, 40 (points) every night, and he's very capable of doing so. But he's a guy who gets everybody involved from top to bottom. He's a guy who shares the ball, gets off it early and lets other guys be successful. And that helps our team."
Cunningham's unselfishness has directly correlated to the way Duren has blossomed. He dished out 136 assists to Duren this season, more than to any other teammate, and Duren shot 59.4 percent on passes from Cunningham. Duren is fresh off averaging a career-high 19.5 points, though he's also elevated his shot creation apart from Cunningham and has solidified himself as the team's second scoring option.
A lot has changed for Cunningham since those texts to Jack in 2024. Cunningham is a two-time All-Star and an All-NBA selection, and he will likely be voted onto another All-NBA team in the coming weeks after being granted extraordinary-circumstances challenges by the NBA and NBPA.
He's guided the Pistons from the NBA basement to 44 wins and a playoff appearance last season. This season, he's led them to 60 wins, the No. 1 seed in the East and what Detroit hopes will be a deep postseason.
(This level of success) is in line with what we expected," Cunningham told The Athletic."I don't think we were hunting the one seed.At the end of the day,you've got to see everybody anyway...It's really just about being at our best and finding a way to be the last team standing.
"Last year,we wanted to do more than we did,but we didn't.We fell short of that,and it's just adding more fuel to the fire."
The Pistons added head coach J.B. Bickerstaff and president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon that summer, and they have since improved the roster.
Cunningham is as responsible for Detroit's transformation as anyone in the organization.
And after recovering from what he called a "scary" left lung pneumothorax, he said he has all the tools to compete at the highest level -- the same way he wanted to while watching Edwards and Jokić clash on TV.
"We have a group of guys who are cut from similar cloths," Cunningham said."...Guys who are go-getters,guy who don't lay down for anybody."
While Cunningham was sidelined for 11 games with his collapsed lung, seven of which were during Detroit’s final 10, he was able to watch his team through a new lens. One that he feels will help the group in the playoffs.
"I feel like I was able to see a lot better what other teams are seeing whenever they watch us," Cunningham said."It made me appreciate what we were doing a lot more,and know that that was who we would have to be at the highest level to win a championship this year."
Cunningham has been a natural leader since his playing days at Bowie High School in Arlington, Texas.
It is something that he's had to cultivate over the years. This version of Cunningham, who can manage to find the positives out of time away, was molded through the challenges of that 14-win season.
Jack remembers one time during the Pistons' 28-game losing streak in 2023-24 when he saw frustration get the better of Cunningham. It was Cunningham's responsibility to break the huddle down in the locker room after each game, but one particular loss was tough on Cunningham.
"It was a bit of a lackluster breakdown," Jack said. "I remember we had a conversation the next day and I was like, 'Yo, man, you can't do that.' He was like, 'Bro, it's wearing on me. I'm frustrated a little bit.' "
It stemmed from watching his team show up daily with the right attitude and intensity at practice, only for the losses to mount. Jack understood but reminded the budding star that the team follows his lead even if the expectations placed on him weren't fair.
"(I told him) your shoulders are big enough to carry that," Jack said."You want to know why you can't do that?Because JD (Duren) is watching you.It’s really for him.It’s really for Ausar (Thompson),who (was) a rookie at the time.It’s for the group.So they know how to respond when things get thick."
So,Cunningham kept breaking down the huddle,loss after loss.Jack now sees the benefit of his perseverance.Duren wasn’t as talkative then as he is now,but Jack smiles when he sees Duren leading the pregame huddles and bringing the team together at the free-throw line to regroup during opponents’ scoring runs.
Jack knew during the struggles of the 2023-24 season how important it was for Cunningham to remain consistent in his approach as a leader -- even as a 22-year-old.Now,two years later,Cunningham feels better prepared to guide Detroit because of the challenges he’s been through.
"I'm just proud of myself and the team for taking that step forward that we needed to," Cunningham said."You see some teams that seem like they're on their way and they have a great season where they take that step forward,then next season they stall out.For us,it's about continuing to take that next step forward.
"So I'm proud of that individually;I'm proud that I was able to elevate my game to help my team elevate.And I'm proud of the team for everybody doing it themselves individually too.And us coming together,taking care of each other,loving on each other to help make it a fun season and sticking together so that we're the team that we are."
The next step for Cunningham and the Pistons begins on Sunday at Little Caesars Arena. And although their opponent hasn't yet been decided, he's eager to do right by the Detroit fans in the process. This time around, he'll be so much more than a spectator watching on TV.
"We've done a lot of good things this year," he said."We have a chance to do something special;so to have that opportunity in front of us,you want to make the most of it."