Cade Cunningham

Central Notes: Jerome, Ivey, Brown, Bulls

It’s still early in the season, but to this point, perhaps no player has boosted his stock ahead of 2025 free agency more than Ty Jerome.

After signing a two-year, minimum-salary deal with the Cavaliers in 2023, Jerome was limited to just two games last season due to an ankle injury. But the 27-year-old guard has had a remarkable start to the ’24/25 campaign, averaging 12.6 points, 2.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.3 steals in just 19.0 minutes per game through 18 outings. He’s posting a ridiculous shooting line of .597/.544/.879, for league-leading true shooting percentage of .736.

As Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com writes, as absurd as it might sound on the surface, considering the Cavs have three former All-Stars and a former Defensive Player of the Year runner-up all playing at a high level, there’s an argument to be made that Jerome has been the team’s early-season MVP, especially from an expectations standpoint. He ranks just 10th on the roster in minutes per game, but he has played exceptionally well when on the court.

Over the past four games alone, Jerome has set new career highs in points (29), field-goals made (10), three-pointers made (seven) and steals (four). He also tied his career-best mark with eight assists. The former Virginia star is averaging 22.3 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 5.0 APG and 1.3 SPG on .604/.556/1.000 shooting over that span (27.9 MPG), which is easily the best four-game stretch of his six-year NBA career.

Here’s more from the Central Division:

  • Pistons guard Jaden Ivey, who will be eligible for a rookie scale extension next offseason, certainly isn’t lacking for confidence. The 22-year-old believes that he and Cade Cunningham have a chance to be a world-class backcourt. “The potential is limitless. Cade is an All-Star and will be one of the best players in this league,” Ivey told Grant Afseth of Sportskeeda. “Our ability to share the floor has been special from day one. I believe we have the talent to be one of the best backcourts ever.”
  • Journeyman center Moses Brown, who signed a non-guaranteed minimum-salary contract with Indiana last week amid season-ending Achilles injuries to James Wiseman and Isaiah Jackson, gave the Pacers a major boost in Sunday’s victory over Washington, per Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. After Myles Turner picked up a couple of quick fouls in the first quarter, head coach Rick Carlisle put in Brown, who responded by scoring Indiana’s first eight points. He finished with 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting, four rebounds and a block in 12-plus minutes. “He’s gotta rebound, run, be a great screen setter, roller and execute coverages to the best of his availability,” Carlisle said. “We play a different defensive system than he’s played in the past but he’s working at adapting. He’s a great kid. He really appreciates this opportunity. This was heart-warming to see.”
  • Are fans losing interest in the Bulls‘ new up-tempo playing style, which has seen the team give up at least 135 points in four of their last 10 games? Paul Sullivan of The Chicago Tribune ponders that question, noting that the coaching staff and players are preaching patience despite acknowledging a slim margin for error defensively.

Pistons Notes: Cunningham, Thompson, Stewart, Trades

Cade Cunningham missed Saturday’s loss to Orlando and his Pistons teammates struggled to fill the huge void. Detroit had more turnovers than assists in the 11-point loss while Cunningham sat out with a hip injury.

“Obviously those injuries are tough when you take a blow to the tailbone-ish area. That’s the core of where your movement starts. He’s obviously pretty sore, but feels like he’s improving. We’ll just take it day by day and see how he gets better,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said, per Omari Sankofa of the Detroit Free Press.

Cunningham was injured during the late going of Detroit’s game against Charlotte on Thursday. He’s listed as doubtful to play on Monday against Toronto, Sankofa tweets.

We have more on the Pistons:

  • Ausar Thompson is no longer on the injury report and is positioned to make his season debut as soon as Monday. Thompson’s rookie season was short-circuited by blood clotting issues. The second-year forward could impact the team defensively, as Hunter Patterson of The Athletic describes in detail. Thompson’s return will likely mean reduced minutes for Wendell Moore Jr., rookie Ron Holland and Simone Fontecchio, Patterson notes.
  • Isaiah Stewart is receiving more minutes at center this season and prefers that role, compared to being a stretch four, he told Forbes contributor Mat Issa. “I love being back at center on offense,” Stewart said. “Playing at the power forward spot, I wasn’t really involved in too many actions. At the center spot, I’m constantly setting screens and using my body.”
  • In Pistons.com’s Keith Langlois’ latest mailbag post,  he predicts the odds of a significant in-season move being pretty low, less than 20 percent. While there might be a minor move near the trade deadline that could net a second-round pick or two, Langlois doubts the front office will be particularly active this season.

Central Notes: Green, Cunningham, P. Williams, Okafor

Always a strong outside shooter, Bucks wing A.J. Green got inconsistent playing time in his first two NBA seasons due in part to questions about his defense. However, he has taken major strides on that end of the court so far this fall, earning an increased role and praise from a superstar teammate, writes Eric Nehm of The Athletic.

“His defense is incredible,” Giannis Antetokounmpo said of Green on Wednesday. “He’s staying down on pump fakes. He’s using his body very smart. I think two years ago, he would get himself in foul trouble. He’d use his hands a lot, maybe jump a little bit on the pump fake, get the guy to shoot two easy free throws. But now, he’s just solid.”

Green continues to knock down three-pointers – even after going 1-of-6 on Friday vs. Indiana, he’s at 46.7% for the season – but he was a 41.2% career three-point shooter entering the season, so that comes as no surprise. His defense, on the other hand, has been better than expected. Entering Friday’s contest, Green’s defensive rating across 260 minutes this season was an impressive 103.5, the second-best mark among Bucks who have logged at least 70 minutes.

“In my opinion, he’s a really, really good defender and he shows in practice. He shows it in games, you guys are seeing that,” Antetokounmpo said. “Like he’s not a liability on defense, he’s actually one of our better defenders on the team. So, I’m very, very happy that he’s out there with me. He makes our defense better and when we grab the rebound and go the other way, he’s a threat from everywhere.”

Here’s more from around the Central:

  • Pistons point guard Cade Cunningham has been ruled out for Saturday’s contest in Orlando due to what the team is calling a left sacroiliac joint sprain, as Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press relays (via Twitter). While it’s unclear who will replace Cunningham in Detroit’s starting lineup, Hunter Patterson of The Athletic notes (via Twitter) that Wendell Moore took his place at the start of overtime in Wednesday’s game following Cunningham’s exit.
  • Bulls forward Patrick Williams missed a second consecutive game on Friday due to inflammation in his left foot and has been ruled out for Saturday too, but he’s downplaying concerns about his injury, according to Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. Williams told reporters the pain he’s experiencing now is “not even close” to what he felt before undergoing season-ending surgery on that foot last winter. “I’m not really concerned,” he said. “Obviously, with this type of stuff, (I’m) just leaning on the doctors, obviously our training staff, the team I worked with back home over the summer. Nobody seems to be worried. It’s kind of a thing that happens post-surgery. First year after surgery is always the toughest. (We’ll) try and work through different things.”
  • Jahlil Okafor was the third overall pick in the 2015 draft. Less than a decade later, as he nears his 29th birthday, the veteran center is playing for the Indiana Mad Ants in the G League as he seeks another NBA opportunity. Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star takes a closer look at Okafor’s comeback effort with the Pacers‘ NBAGL affiliate.

Central Notes: LaVine, Donovan, Bulls, Pistons, Cavs

There have been reports in recent years of tension between Bulls star Zach LaVine and head coach Billy Donovan, who often didn’t see eye to eye with one another, but the relationship between LaVine and Donovan this season is as good as it’s ever been, one Bulls player tells Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times.

As Cowley writes, LaVine seems happier and more willing to buy in to Donovan’s system so far this fall. His increased engagement has been evident on the defensive end, which has typically been his Achilles heel. While LaVine still isn’t a lock-down defender, his effort level has been higher on that side of the ball this season.

“I’m definitely trying,” LaVine said of his defense. “I know what I can do on that end, especially in isolation one-on-one, and just try and make it tough on them.”

“I really respect and admire what he’s doing because he’s trying to play on both ends of the floor and he’s giving everything he has on both ends,” Donovan said.

Here’s more from around the Central:

  • The Bulls are just 5-7 so far this fall, but have picked up impressive road wins in Milwaukee, Memphis, and New York. Are they a little too talented to finish in the bottom 10 of the NBA standings and retain their protected 2025 first-round pick? Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic weighs that question, noting that a scenario in which the Bulls miss the playoffs but have their pick land in the 11-14 range would be a worst-case outcome.
  • Pointing out it took the Pistons just 13 games to get to five wins this season after it required 44 games a year ago, Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press (subscription required) identifies Isaiah Stewart, Malik Beasley, and rookie Ron Holland as three players whose stock is up in the early going. While Cade Cunningham‘s shooting percentages (.456 FG%, .364 3PT%) are career highs, Sankofa has the former No. 1 overall pick in the “stock down” section of his article, observing that Cunningham needs to cut back on his turnovers (5.0 per game).
  • David Aldridge of The Athletic considers whether the 13-0 Cavaliers are built for postseason success, while Grant Afseth of Sportskeeda takes a look at the role that Georges Niang, whom head coach Kenny Atkinson refers to as a crucial “connector,” plays in Cleveland’s game plan.

Pistons Notes: Cunningham, 2024/25 Outlook, Harris, Rotation, More

The Pistons are dedicated to making sure the 2024/25 campaign goes far better than last season did. From the coaching staff to the front office to the roster, Detroit has been hellbent on enacting sweeping culture changes, according to The Athletic’s Joe Vardon. Those changes range from a new coach ( J.B. Bickerstaff) to a new rule prohibiting players from putting their hoods up when practicing.

The hiring of Bickerstaff is one of the biggest changes for the Pistons after their franchise-worst season. They also committed long-term to Cade Cunningham with a maximum-salary extension, traded for and signed a handful veterans with floor-spacing capabilities, and made Trajan Langdon their new head of basketball operations. Cunningham’s efficiency is maximized with floor spacers around him, so that was a concentrated effort by the front office.

When we sat down when we were done playing [in a recent preseason game] and the younger guys were playing, he was like, ‘Beaz, I didn’t even realize how much the floor is open,’” new teammate Malik Beasley — a career 38.5% three-point shooter — recalled Cunningham saying to him. “I’m like, ‘Yeah, so use me to your advantage.'”

The franchise fully believes Cunningham can be a star and is ready to lean into him as their centerpiece.

The conversations that I’ve had with Cade, the way that I see how his teammates follow him and the way that he engages his teammates, he wants to be amongst the elites and understands that winning matters in order to be respected by your peers in that way,” Bickerstaff said.

We have more from the Pistons:

  • Despite the optimism surrounding the team, the Pistons are still a work in progress, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press writes. They’re taking a patient approach with all the new systems in place. “We will be a work in progress all season long, and that’s our mentality going into this year,” Bickerstaff said. “We will not be a finished product and we don’t expect to be. This is something where we’re looking at the big picture, but our aim is to continue to get better until we feel like we’re that complete team that can compete at the level that we’re all looking to. We’ve got our foundation in. I think our guys have a clear understanding of who we are, what our plan is, what we’re trying to do.
  • Harris is one of the crucial veterans who will help the young players like Cunningham in their continued transition efforts into a winning team. The 13-year NBA veteran is already making an impression on his teammates. “He’s bringing a lot of leadership for us,” teammate Simone Fontecchio said, per Sankofa (Twitter link). “A vet, being in this league for a lot of years. He’s really helping us. Since we have a lot of young guys on the team he’s been able to teach them, lead them and that’s what we need from him.
  • Rookie No. 5 overall pick Ron Holland may have played his way into a regular season rotation role, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com writes in a mailbag. Holland’s held a regular rotation spot in five preseason games, averaging 7.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists per contest. However, it’ll be interesting to see how the team handles his minutes when Ausar Thompson returns to action. Neither is a floor spacer at this point in their careers, so the Pistons will likely have to stagger their minutes. Langlois notes that both players are working extensively with shooting coach Fred Vinson, who was so coveted he was hired before Bickerstaff.
  • In the same piece, Langlois asserts Cunningham, Tobias Harris, Jalen Duren and Jaden Ivey are all firmly in the starting five. Ivey cemented his place in the lineup with strong offseason and preseason play. Beyond those four, Langlois thinks Thompson will be the fifth starter when healthy, with Beasley, Isaiah Stewart, Fontecchio, Holland and Tim Hardaway Jr. coming off the bench. Paul Reed and Marcus Sasser would be next in line in the rotation.
  • Ivey, Cunningham and Harris stand out as the winners of the preseason after answering certain questions about their respective games, Sankofa writes in another piece. On the other hand, Hardaway and the rest of the veteran wings didn’t shoot well, while Thompson’s status as he recovers from a blood clot that ended his rookie season remains in question.

Pistons Notes: Veteran Additions, Cunningham, Goals, Reed

New Pistons president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon used the team’s cap space to acquire veterans such as Tobias Harris, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Malik Beasley to provide more balance to the roster. Third-year center Jalen Duren believes that was the right approach for an otherwise young team.

“Their voices have been huge for us,” Duren said, per Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. “Those older vets, they’ve brought a sense of balance. Just hearing them talk, everybody wants to know what they have to say. Everybody cares about their opinions on things. I feel that’s been great for us.”

Fellow third-year lottery pick Jaden Ivey feels the same way.

“They’ve been amazing already,” Ivey said. “I’ve learned a lot already from Tobias, working with him, pick his brain from what he’s been through. Being in that playoff atmosphere for a long time, he knows what it’s like. … I’m looking forward to competing with those guys. They’re going to bring a lot to this team and, most importantly, that winning mindset is what we need and they’re going to bring it for us on this team.”

We have more on the Pistons:

  • While the veterans will lend their voices, Langdon expects Cade Cunningham to be the unquestioned leader of the group, according to Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press. Cunningham signed a max five-year extension this offseason. “He wants to lead,” Langdon said. “I think that was a big thing for him and we’re fortunate he wants to be here as well. A young man of his caliber, both playing and as a young man who’s high-character, he embodies what we want to be as a franchise. The re-signing of him, we’re all very excited about. Seeing him progress every day in terms of his leadership and also his compete level, both sides of the floor. And then playing winning basketball and figuring out what that means night in and night out because hopefully we can stay in games.”
  • There are several rebuilding teams in the Eastern Conference — opening the door for a potential run for a play-in tournament slot — but Langdon isn’t focused on the team’s record this season, Sankofa adds. “I don’t think the goal for us is wins and losses,” he added. “Obviously we want to win as many games as possible but it’s putting a group together that establishes a Detroit Pistons identity. At some time of the season, we want to be able to say, and (head coach J.B. Bickerstaff) has reiterated to our guys, that this is Detroit Pistons basketball and when we walk into the arena, the other team knows exactly what we’re going to bring. And they better be ready for it because we’re going to come and compete every night.”
  • Don’t underestimate the addition of Paul Reed, Langlois writes. Reed was claimed off waivers from Philadelphia and could be a valuable backup big man. He’ll compete with Duren and Isaiah Stewart for playing time at center. “I know those guys are super strong, super physical, super athletic,” Reed said of Duren and Stewart. “I’ve got to match their energy. I feel they make my job a lot easier just because we have more bodies I can go bang with. It’s going to be super tough for the opposition. We know we have to protect the paint.” If Reed doesn’t claim a rotation spot, he may not last the season. His $7.7MM salary remains non-guaranteed until early January.

And-Ones: Rookie Scale Extensions, $500MM Players, Beverley, Muhammad, T. Robinson

Three of the first four players selected in the 2021 draft have already received rookie scale extensions, but Rockets guard Jalen Green may have to wait until next summer, writes Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report. Despite a strong finish to last season, there are still questions about Green after three years in the NBA. Houston may want to maximize its cap space for 2025, and Pincus suggests the Rockets’ final offer to Green may not be in the neighborhood of what fellow top four picks Cade Cunningham, Evan Mobley and Scottie Barnes received.

That philosophy would also affect Alperen Sengun, who was taken with the 16th pick in 2021. Pincus suggests that Sengun could receive a generous offer before the October 21 deadline if the Rockets are planning to pick up Fred VanVleet‘s $44.9MM option for the 2025/26 season. However, the Turkish center will only have a $16.3MM cap hold if the team plans to decline its option on VanVleet and operate using cap space.

Pincus’ comments are part of his analysis of the entire first round from 2021 and the likelihood of an extension for each remaining player. He gives a C-minus to Cunningham’s new deal, stating that the Pistons assumed unnecessary risk when they could have signed him to a similar contract next summer. The Cavaliers‘ Mobley extension gets a B-minus from Pincus, while the Raptors‘ Barnes extension rates a B-plus.

There’s more news from around the basketball world:

  • Stephen Curry‘s extension with the Warriors and Paul George‘s max contract with the Sixers will push them above $500MM in career earnings, joining LeBron James and Kevin Durant as the only players with deals in place to reach that figure, notes Steve Henson of The Los Angeles Times. James Harden will top $400MM under his new two-year, $70MM deal with the Clippers, while Chris Paul will get close to that number after joining the Spurs for one year at $10.46MM.
  • Longtime NBA guard Patrick Beverley made his debut for Hapoel Tel Aviv today in Israel, according to Eurohoops. Beverley, 36, was in the starting lineup and contributed three points, six assists and his typical intense defense in a preseason win over Elitzur Ironi Netanya.
  • Former NBA players Shabazz Muhammad and Thomas Robinson have signed with Homenetmen Beirut, per Dario Skerletic of Sportando. Muhammad, who joined the Kings’ G League affiliate in January, last played in the NBA during the 2017/18 season. Robinson, a lottery pick in 2012, has been out of the league for seven years.

Central Notes: Turner, Pistons Guards, Herd Arena

Myles Turner believes the Pacers need to be a better rebounding team to reach their ultimate goal, he said on a Club 520 podcast (hat tip to HoopsHype).

“I think one, we’ve gotta be a better rebounding team, we’re still kind of small,” he said. “We just got James Wiseman ,so that helps a bit you know I mean he’s like 7-1 but outside of me, Isaiah Jackson was 6-9, Jalen Smith at the time was 6-9, 6-10… So we just (need) to have more frontcourt presence, especially off the bench.”

Turner also mentioned that rebounding was cited as the main reason why he’s never won a Defensive Player of the Year award. Turner has twice led the league in blocks.

“What they always told me was like, ‘Well, you don’t rebound,’ and I was like ‘all right’ — you know, I’ll take that on the chin, cool,” he said (hat tip to HoopsHype). “But I feel like defense is more than being just a defensive rebounder, like I’m leading like a like a number two defense in the league, and know we have a decent record. But bro, we don’t play on TV, we didn’t get very far in the playoffs so no exposure, so it’s like they had to justify who they get this award to, and it became like a popularity contest.'”

We have more from the Central Division:

  • To varying degrees, Pistons guards Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey and Marcus Sasser have something to prove this upcoming season, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press writes. Cunningham received a max rookie scale extension and he’ll need to show his late-season surge is closer to his norm. Ivey has to be more efficient, coming off a disappointing sophomore campaign, and improve defensively. Sasser needs to show he’s worthy of being the main backup at the point.
  • The Wisconsin Herd, the Bucks’ NBA G League team,  is close to an agreement that would keep the franchise in Oshkosh for the foreseeable future, Justin Marville of the Oshkosh Northwestern reports. The Herd’s future at the arena was uncertain because of claims that the arena’s management had violated the current lease. A judge granted a motion for a different venue management company to oversee the operations of Oshkosh Arena. The Herd had opt-out provisions that could have released the team from its lease agreement due to the arena’s financial difficulties.
  • The Cavaliers have numerous roster openings but aren’t in a rush to fill them. Get the details here.

Central Notes: Allen, Pistons, Swider, Brown

The three-year, $91MM contract extension that Jarrett Allen signed on Friday gave the Cavaliers more flexibility if they later decide to break up the Allen-Evan Mobley frontcourt next season, according to Marc Stein in his latest Substack post.

Allen is eligible to traded on February 2 — four days before next season’s deadline. It’s believed that the veteran center was essentially obligated to sign the deal before August 6 as a condition of Cleveland extending him at the maximum amount, Stein adds. If he’d signed his new deal after Aug. 6, Allen would have been ineligible to be traded until the summer of 2025.

We have more from the Central Division:

  • In his Eastern Conference power rankings, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press places the Pistons at No. 12 — ahead of the Hornets, Nets and Wizards. While Detroit endured its worst season in franchise history, it shouldn’t be the worst team in the conference next season after a series of offseason moves. Tobias Harris, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Malik Beasley should significantly upgrade the outside shooting, Sankofa notes, and Paul Reed adds depth at center. The team’s young core should continue to grow, particularly Cade Cunningham with more help around him.
  • Former Heat forward Cole Swider agreed to a non-guaranteed contract with the Pacers on Saturday. He could be in a competition with Kendall Brown for the 15th spot on the roster, Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star opines. Brown, who is also on a non-guaranteed deal, struggled with his perimeter shooting in the Summer League and committed 12 turnovers in five games. Swider, in contrast, played a key role in the Heat’s run to the Summer League title in Las Vegas.
  • In case you missed it, the Bulls reportedly haven’t halted their efforts to find a trade partners for Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic.

Execs, Scouts Share Feedback, Predictions For 2024 Draft Class

Of the 20 NBA executives and scouts polled by Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo of ESPN.com (Insider link), 15 predicted that Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher, the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft, will have a more successful NBA career than No. 2 pick Alex Sarr of the Wizards.

However, only one of those 20 respondents predicted that Risacher will end up being the best pick of the 2024 draft. Seven voters chose No. 3 pick Reed Sheppard for that honor, per Givony and Woo.

“Sheppard is going to help Houston right away, and I think he has a chance to be an All-Star down the road,” one high-level Eastern Conference executive told ESPN.

Trail Blazers center Donovan Clingan, who went seventh overall, was the second-leading vote-getter for the best pick of the draft, earning three votes.

“I thought [Clingan] was a steal on draft night at 7, but the things he did defensively in summer league were unreal with the impact he made,” one respondent said. “Now they have him shooting trail and pick-and-pop threes. If he starts making those consistently, that’s a game-changer with the way he can pass and protect the rim.”

Here are a few more of the most notable answers from the poll conducted by ESPN’s draft experts:

  • Pistons forward Ron Holland (No. 5 overall) and Bucks guard AJ Johnson (No. 23) each earned four votes for the biggest reach of the draft. “I feel bad for Cade Cunningham,” one source told ESPN. “They’ve been rebuilding for years even though they never planned on it, and this pick signals they might need to blow up the roster and start over again. I just don’t see how [Holland] plays with Ausar Thompson, Jaden Ivey and all their other young guys. That situation is a mess. Even when Holland was scoring in Vegas, it was so ugly to watch.”
  • Five of the 20 respondents picked Wizards guard Carlton Carrington (No. 14 overall) as the player who will become the biggest steal of this year’s draft, with one Western Conference executive comparing him to Tyrese Maxey.
  • Sheppard (seven votes), Grizzlies center Zach Edey (four), Spurs guard Stephon Castle (three), and Clingan (two) were the only players who were chosen by multiple respondents as their Rookie of the Year pick.
  • Feedback on this year’s two-day draft format was generally positive, according to Givony and Woo, with executives expressing appreciation for the break in between the two rounds that allowed them to do additional research ahead of day two. However, one GM criticized the decision to invite so many prospects to the green room, since it resulted in multiple players leaving Barclays Center after day one without being selected.
  • Here’s how one of ESPN’s 20 respondents evaluated the two-day format: “Some of the people in our front office didn’t like how much this second day helps the disorganized teams who typically wing it and can be taken advantage of from a strategy standpoint. But the pros far outweigh the cons when it comes to better drafting and decision-making. There were a ton of trades and I think next year you’ll see some real creativity now that we have a better idea for how the evening looks.”