Since signing his max contract with the Detroit Pistons, Cade Cunningham has been on a quick rise as he puts together his most prominent season as a pro.

At this point, the former top pick is going from being an empty-stats guy on a struggling team to being recognized as one of the best young players in the game. This week, show host and NBA analyst Nick Wright ranked his top players in the league, giving Cunningham a favorable rank on ‘First Things First.’

“Cade Cunningham. Former No. 1 pick. Nobody talks about could he be the face of the league? I don’t know. He was the No. 1 pick, he’s got the Pistons firmly in the playoffs, they’re not going to be a Play-In team.”

Going into the 2024-2025 NBA season, the Pistons made notable changes to the front office and the coaching staff. The roster was slightly tweaked in favor of Cunningham, but the Pistons trusted he could take them to a different level with some better spacing by surrounding him with high-volume three-point shooters.

The Pistons didn’t enter the season with playoffs as their expectation. It’s safe to say they are exceeding their goals, as the playoffs are certainly in sight for the first time during the Cunningham era.

At 35-27, the Pistons have possession of the Eastern Conference’s sixth seed. If the season ended this week, they would likely draw a first-round matchup against the New York Knicks. Cunningham hasn’t proven himself in the playoffs just yet, but he’s quickly establishing himself as one of the NBA’s biggest rising stars this year.

In Wright’s opinion, Cunningham is already a Top 10 guy, and could potentially be viewed as one of the new faces in the league.

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