Cade Cunningham has 26/7/11/2/2 line vs. 76ers

Cunningham turned in his second consecutive lackluster shooting performance, going 0-for-4 from three-point range while attempting 16 shots or fewer for just the fourth time this season. He poured in 11 first-half points and played a season-low 27 minutes during the second game of a back-to-back for Detroit. This looks like a relatively minor blip on the radar as he works through a shooting slump. He’ll get a couple days off before the Pistons square off with the Wizards in a rematch on Thursday.

Cunningham was held without a basket in the first half as he cobbled together an uncharacteristically poor shooting performance, finishing just 1-of-6 from three-point range. He managed to somewhat salvage the effort from a fantasy perspective by still getting to double digits while also dishing out eight assists. He’ll attempt to get back on track when the Pistons kick off a three-game week with a pair of matchups against the lowly Wizards before facing the Heat in a road tilt.

Cunningham has now recorded at least 30 points, at least five rebounds, at least seven assists, at least two steals and at least four three-pointers in two of his last three games. Due to his efficiency and five steals, Monday was the 25-year-old point guard’s best game of the young season so far. With Jalen Duren (hamstring) still sidelined, expect the Pistons to continue to lean on Cunningham even more than they usually do.

Cunningham had just 19 points in Tuesday’s loss to the Knicks, but bounced back with 30 points in the victory over the Hornets Wednesday. Expect Cunningham to continue doing it all for the Pistons and he should keep shouldering a heavy usage load while Jalen Duren (hamstring) is out.

Given Cunningham’s scoring trend in Detroit’s first four games, he’s likely to score 20+ against the Hornets on Wednesday. The Knicks kept him in check for most of the night, with Cade totaling 10 points in the final three quarters of Tuesday’s defeat. The good news for fantasy managers was that he put up quality rebound and assist numbers, finishing one board and two helpers shy of a triple-double.

Cunningham and the Pistons remained undefeated after defeating the 76ers, doing so without two starters. With Jalen Duren out for at least two weeks and Ausar Thompson also unavailable on Sunday, Cunningham will have to do more of the heavy lifting for the Pistons in the short term. Beyond scoring, he provided excellent value for fantasy managers across the board. The Pistons play three games in Week 2, starting with the Knicks on Tuesday.

Cunningham had another fine game as he filled the stat sheet and led the Pistons to another win to start the season. However, after turning the ball over five times in the win over the Celtics on Tuesday, he had seven turnovers against the Heat on Friday. Even opposing coaches like the Heat’s Erik Spolstra have pointed out that Cunningham isn’t necessarily a bad ball-handler, but commits a lot of turnovers thanks to almost always having the ball in his hands. That doesn’t offer much comfort to fantasy managers with Cunningham in nine-category leagues as he’s likely to be towards the top of the league in turnovers this year.

Cade looked like his usual self as the primary creator of the offense. It is important to note the nine assists to the five turnovers he had. Detroit lost some ball handling this summer which will put even more responsibility on Cade. It would not be a shock if he leads the league in turnovers this year because he’s the only starter that can handle the ball.

Cunningham was at the controls for Detroit as they kicked off their exhibition slate with nearly every key piece of their rotation, with the exception of center Jalen Duren, who recently signed a five-year, $200 million contract following a tumultuous offseason that came on the heels of a disappointing playoff performance. There are legitimate questions about whether Detroit’s decision not to add any secondary scoring or playmaking help for Cunningham this offseason will eventually backfire. However, it virtually guarantees that he’ll be in line for another high-volume offensive season. Cunningham should be a borderline first-round pick in all upcoming fantasy drafts.

The most important note here is the start time. Typically, there are two night games on opening night, but this game will tip off at 3 p.m. ET. Managers will have to set their lineups earlier than usual. There are still two night games, with the defending-champion Knicks hosting the new-look 76ers, which will be followed by a Western Conference Finals rematch, with the Spurs hosting the Thunder. All three games will be broadcasted on NBC and Peacock. Other nationally-televised games for the first week have been revealed as well, and the full schedule will be released this week.