NBA HOFer's $75,000,000 son dubs Cade Cunningham one of the best guards in the NBA

The Detroit Pistons saw something special in Cade Cunningham when they drafted him as the first pick in the 2021 NBA draft. That decision seems to now be paying off for the franchise. The 23-year-old guard has been phenomenal over the last few months. Cunningham is contributing in all facets over the game, and is proving to be one of the most complete players in the league.

The Pistons have won six of their last seven games with Saturday's win over the Toronto Raptors taking the team above .500. After another stellar performance from Cunningham, Tim Hardaway Jr. had high praise for his teammate.

Asked by a reporter if Cade has been one of the best guards in the conference, Hardaway took it a step further.

"In the NBA," responded Hardaway.

Hardaway Jr., who is the son of former Golden State Warriors and Miami Heat legend Tim Hardaway Sr., knows what it takes to succeed at the highest level. The 32-year-old is now in his 12th season in the NBA and has played alongside some of the game's greats.

In 2021, Tim Hardaway Jr. signed a colossal four-year, $75 million deal with the Dallas Mavericks. Per Forbes, the talented forward is set to earn $16.1 million this season with Detroit, and will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2024-25 campaign.

Hardaway Jr. obviously enjoys playing alongside Cunningham. On Saturday, he finished with a game-high 27 points, shooting 9-of-13 from the field and converting seven 3-pointers on the night.

Cade Cunningham had one of his best outings of the season, recording a triple-double. The dominant guard finished with 22 points, 10 rebounds and 17 assists, finishing just one assist shy of his career high. It was Cunningham's seventh triple-double of the season.

Cade Cunningham is putting up career numbers in his fourth season with the Detroit Pistons

Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham dribbles against the Los Angeles Lakers at Little Caesars Arena. Photo Credit: Imagn

There were high expectations when the Detroit Pistons used the first overall pick to draft Cade Cunningham, and the 6-foot-6 guard has gradually evolved into one of the team's most effective players.

In his first NBA season, Cunningham averaged 17.4 ppg, 5.5 rpg and 5.4 apg and finished third in the Rookie of the Year voting. The 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 seasons saw Cunningham's numbers improve, but the rising star took it up a notch this season.

Cunningham is averaging career highs in points (24.3), rebounds (6.6), assists (9.3), blocks (0.8), filed goal percentage (45.7), 3-point percentage (37.6) and minutes (35.6). He leads the Detroit roster in points, assists, steals and minutes.

Last season, the Pistons finished with just 14 wins. Led by some outstanding performances from Cade Cunningham, they have already recorded 20 wins with less than half the NBA regular season complete.