If there’s one thing Detroit Pistons fans can take from NBA Hall-of-Famer Carmelo Anthony’s most recent podcast episode, it’s that Anthony really, really likes Pistons star Cade Cunningham.
But that’s not the only thing that Anthony likes about the Pistons. He thinks they can win a championship in 2026.
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Anthony sat down with former NBA player P.J. Tucker on an episode of the “7PM in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony” podcast released on Tuesday, Jan. 13. One of the show’s main topics was a discussion on the NBA’s best point guards, with Anthony and Tucker listing Cunningham, Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson, Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey and Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Dončić as the five best in the league.
However, Anthony had a particular reverence for Cunningham.
“When Cade hits that switch, which he’s hitting that switch right now, he will surpass those guys,” he said. “Six-five point guard, shoot, defend, post, score … Cade has the opportunity to consistently take leaps every single year.”
Cunningham is in the middle of his best season yet, averaging career-highs in points (26.7), assists (9.7) and rebounds (6.2) per game while playing a career-high 35.6 minutes per game. He’s currently eighth in the league in win shares (4.6), with Gilgeous-Alexander (No. 1 at 9.2) and Maxey (No. 3 at 5.9) the only point guards ahead of him on the list.
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But while Cunningham’s scoring and distribution has helped lift the Pistons with an Eastern Conference-high 321 assists, it’s Cunningham’s defense that has helped put him on a higher level, according to Tucker.
“I think that’s what separates (Cunningham). Of the five (point guards), he’s probably the best defender out of all of them,” he said.
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“He could quietly be (on the) first-team all-defensive team. He could possibly be the defensive player of the year,” Anthony added.
Anthony thinks that Cunningham’s play can help lead the Pistons to their first championship since the 2003-04 season, coincidentally Anthony’s first year as a professional.
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“They could win a championship this year,” Anthony said, to which Tucker immediately agreed. “They built different, they Detroit tough.”
The Pistons are currently 28-10 and in first place in the Eastern Conference, 3½ games above the second-place New York Knicks. And according to Anthony, the Eastern Conference is going to come down to the team for which he played seven seasons and the team that passed him up with the No. 2 pick in the 2003 draft.
“My vision is Detroit-Knicks conference finals,” he said.
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You can reach Christian at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Carmelo Anthony praises Cade Cunningham and Pistons’ title chances
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