The Detroit Pistons have made history for all the wrong reasons, and Cade Cunningham wants to ensure everyone sticks together. After the Pistons set the single-season record for most consecutive losses with 27 following a defeat to the Brooklyn Nets, Cunningham was asked about what message he had for the team.
“Don’t jump off the boat,” Cunningham said. “We got to stay together. Right now is the easiest time to stand off and be on your own. But we need to continue to lean on each other and continue to push each other, hold each other accountable more than ever now.”
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That’s some good leadership and Cunningham stated he was just being real about the situation they’re in. With the team being on such a historic losing streak, it would be quite understandable that heads would start to drop and some players would start isolating themselves.
Cunningham wants to ensure that doesn’t happen, as they would then never recover and would remain on this slippery slope. For a while, it seemed like the Pistons would manage to end the losing streak against the Nets, as they jumped out to a 22-8 lead. They even led 97-92 with just over eight minutes left in the fourth quarter, but went on to lose 118-112 to drop to 2-28 on the season.
Cade Cunningham Gave It His All Against The Nets
While Cunningham hasn’t been able to lead the Pistons to victories, you can’t question his effort. The 22-year-old gave it his all against the Nets, putting up 41 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block.
37 of those points came in the second half as Cunningham desperately tried to get his team over the line. He played all 24 minutes as well, but it wasn’t to be.
While there aren’t too many positives you can take out from a campaign like this one, Cunningham’s play does give the Pistons hope for a better future. He is averaging 23.0 points, 4.1 rebounds, 7.0 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game in 2023-24. Cunningham missed the bulk of last season due to injury and it’s great to see him make such a great comeback on an individual note.
Jaden Ivey’s Reaction To Cunningham’s Message
Cunningham’s message does seem to have resonated within the locker room. His teammate Jaden Ivey was asked about Cunningham’s speech to the team, and he echoed the same sentiments.
“That’s very true,” Ivey said. Can’t jump off the boat now. We only have two wins in the season. Every single person in here is in here for a reason. If you’re jumping off of the boat now just because we’re down, it just says a lot about your character. I don’t think any guy in here is jumping off the boat. I think everybody’s going to continue to stay on the boat and stay together.”
Ivey stated that this was the toughest thing they have ever had to deal with, as he and Cunningham were winning at every level prior to getting to the NBA. He firmly believes, however, that they have the right people in the locker room to turn things around.
Ivey was unhappy, though, about the “Sell the team” chants, that have now broken out during the last two home games. He questioned who was really with the team in this difficult moment, but I believe the fans are behind this group of players. They want a change at the top and I won’t blame them for that.
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