One of Oklahoma State’s finest professional athletes wrapped up his best season yet.
On Thursday night, the Detroit Pistons fell to the New York Knicks in Game 6 of the first round. That loss eliminated the Pistons from the postseason and ended one of the most impressive years in recent NBA history.
After Detroit won only 14 games last season, former OSU star Cade Cunningham led the charge in getting the Pistons to 44 wins and their first playoff appearance in six years. The Pistons took Cunningham with the No. 1 pick in 2021 and hoped he could turn the franchise around, and he proved in his fourth year that he was always the man for the job.
This season, Cunningham averaged 26.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 9.1 assists across 70 games. His year was among the best in the NBA, and he built upon his impressive regular season with a good showing in his first taste of playoff basketball.
In six games against the No. 3 seed Knicks in the first round, Cunningham averaged 25 points, 8.3 rebounds and 8.7 assists. He also showed his defensive skillset, adding 1.8 steals and 1.3 blocks per game. Although he had a rough time shooting the ball, Cunningham proved that he can be a playoff riser for years to come.
Although Cunningham’s season came to an unfortunate end in the first round, his fourth year was an undeniable success. Along with taking the Pistons to the playoffs for the first time this decade, he finished third in the NBA’s Most Improved Player voting.
After making his first All-Star appearance back in February, Cunningham has established himself as one of the best young guards in the league. Over the next couple of weeks, Cunningham is also poised to become the first OSU player to be named to an All-NBA team.
Cunningham spent the latter half of his fourth NBA season alongside another former Cowboy, with Lindy Waters III joining Detroit at the trade deadline. Although there is no guarantee Waters will stick around in Detroit, the duo already made history as the first OSU players to team up on an NBA team.
