Pistons coach Casey labels Cade a quiet alpha

Cade Cunningham is just a few summer league games into his Detroit Pistons tenure, but he's already left a favorable impression on head coach Dwane Casey.

"Cade is an alpha. But he's an alpha that doesn't come in and just command the room and make it known, 'Hey, I'm here,'" Casey said Saturday on SiriusXM NBA Radio. "He's the kind of guy that comes in quietly, shows leadership, and he's a connector for our team.

"He's a guy that moves the basketball. Can make a play on his own if he needs to, but, also, he can also make a play for other people."

Cunningham entered Saturday's summer league contest against the Los Angeles Lakers averaging 18.7 points, 5.7 boards, 2.3 assists, 1.7 steals, and 1.3 blocks. He's shooting a sizzling 50% from deep on nearly nine 3-point attempts per game.

The No. 1 pick in this year's draft drilled seven triples in Friday's win over the New York Knicks.

Cunningham earned consensus All-American first-team honors and captured the Big 12 Player of the Year award during his lone collegiate season at Oklahoma State. He led the NCAA in clutch scoring and ranked seventh in isolation points per contest during the 2020-21 campaign.