The Detroit Pistons' defensive identity shines throughout the roster, including franchise point guard Cade Cunningham.
Detroit's All-NBA talent dominated in their 124-91 victory over the Charlotte Hornets. With 33 points, seven assists, and five rebounds, Cunningham also stood out defensively with superb on-ball effort and five steals.
He spoke about what influences his commitment to the defensive end after the win to the media.
“AT (Ausar Thompson) is the influence. We have the best in the world right there. I think watching him and the way he does it, obviously, he makes it look a lot easier than it is for a lot of people, me included. You don't want to leave him hanging on that,” Cunningham explained.
“I know I have the athletic gifts that allow me to defend and help our defense. I just try to put them to the best use to try and help put our team in the best position we can. That's where it comes from.”
Detroit has certainly benefited from Thompson's defensive tenacity since drafting him in 2023. He has stood out as one of the best all-around defenders throughout the NBA. Thompson arguably had his best defensive campaign last season when he earned NBA First Team All-Defensive honors for his regular season work. He also won Eastern Conference Defensive Player of the Month twice.
It is clear to see that influence resonate through the team, especially with Cunningham. The numbers certainly reflect Cunningham's effort and commitment to being impactful on defense. He has generated 11 steals and eight blocks over the past seven games.
The Pistons continue to maintain their care for defense when playing their opponents. They currently are the No. 1 team in the league with the best defensive rating of 102.4. Detroit gave Charlotte problems all game as they generated 25 turnovers and 15 steals in their road victory. Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff applauded the defensive buy-in from his basketball team and how it translated to the Monday night win.
“When we're defending at the level that we're capable of defending, and the shots are going, we're going to be a tough out. Our guys have completely bought into what's completely important to the team. For us, it's our identity of being defense-minded. Being aggressive and being disruptive.
Article Continues Below“We have guys who can play in the open court, which creates a lot of our opportunities for us also. When you add that on top of the shots falling, we're going to be pretty hard to beat.”
Detroit was red hot offensively against Charlotte to complement their defense. The Pistons connected on 47-of-82 shots from the field, which averages to 57.3%. Their 3-point shooting looked unstoppable as well, as they hit 18-of-37 attempts, averaging 48.6%. They were able to move the ball effectively to generate these quality looks, with 30 assists on those 47 made field goals.
Shooting guard Duncan Robinson continues his impressive scoring start by putting up 24 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field and 6-of-9 shooting from three. Robinson also pitched in defensively with three steals. Thompson showed his scoring development with 14 points. Center Paul Reed and forward Ron Hon Holland each finished in double digits with 11 points for the Pistons.