Kevin Durant showers praise on 6-foot-7 new age star's 'special' abilities 

As someone who plays alongside them, Kevin Durant is a good source when it comes to the next generation of stars in the NBA. In the midst of what many are calling a breakout campaign, the former MVP had high praise for an emerging young talent.

Dating back to the start of the season, the Detroit Pistons have been arguably the league's biggest success story. After posting the worst record across all 30 teams last year, they now hold a top-six seed in the Eastern Conference.

One of the main reasons for the Pistons' success has been the play of Cade Cunningham. The former No. 1 pick is putting up career-highs across the board, resulting in his first All-Star nod.

In the midst of his strong play, Cunningham has received praise from countless figures in and around the NBA. Kevin Durant is the latest to do so, speaking highly of Detroit's 6-foot-7 point guard on a livestream Monday night.

"Special man, special," Durant said. "He can do it all out there at the point guard. At 6'7, he posting up, shooting the three, dunking on you. He got a nice pace too man, I love his game. He balling out this year."

In just his fourth season in the NBA, Cunningham is averaging 25.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 9.5 assists. Still years away from his prime, the Pistons guard is on track to being one of the best players at his position for years to come.

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Kevin Durant has had an up-close view of Cade Cunningham's brilliance this season

As mentioned earlier, what makes Kevin Durant a good judge of talent is that his playing career is still going. Seeing that he squares off against the NBA's best on a nightly basis, the superstar forward has a good sense of which players are on the fast track toward stardom. In the case of Cade Cunningham, Durant has gotten an up-close view of how much his game has grown this year.

Even though the Phoenix Suns and Detroit Pistons only play twice a season, that was more than enough for KD to witness Cunningham's brilliance. These squads split their two games this year, but the star guard shined in both.

Kevin Durant's first glimpse of Cunningham's emergence came just before Christmas Day. The Pistons were able to knock off the Suns in their first meeting, largely due to a strong offensive showing from the 23-year-old. Cunningham finished the night with a double-double, posting 28 points and 13 assists.

Durant and company got revenge about a month later in the second and final meeting. That said, Cunningham still put together a good showing in a losing effort. He logged 35 minutes in the four-point loss and finished with a stat line of 20 points, six rebounds and 11 assists.

Being spoken so highly of by a player of Kevin Durant's caliber is a testament to the big leap Cunningham has made this season.