Cade Cunningham was a catalyst in the Detroit Pistons’ turnaround 2024-25 season, setting career highs nearly across the board as his team earned a playoff berth for the first time since 2018-19.

In his fourth season, Cunningham was a first-time All-Star and earned third-team All-NBA honors. It’s undoubtedly ramped up expectations for the point guard, who landed at No. 13 in CBS Sports’ rankings of the NBA’s top 100 players for 2025-26, published Tuesday.

Cunningham is one of two Pistons to make the list. Small forward Ausar Thompson checks in at No. 75.

Cunningham, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, established new career highs in points (26.1), assists (9.1), and shooting percentage (46.9% overall; 35.6% from 3-point range) in leading a turnaround that saw the Pistons finish the regular season with a 44-38 record — a 30-win improvement from 2023-24 — and earn a playoff berth, where they fell in the opening round to the New York Knicks in six games.

That all helped Cunningham climb 36 spots in CBS Sports’ rankings from a year ago.

“Dating back to his rookie season, you could see Cunningham had it in him,” James Herbert of CBS Sports writes. “But while his poise and playmaking ability translated immediately, his game didn’t truly blossom until 2024-25, the year that the Pistons got their act together. With decent spacing on the court for the first time as a professional, Cunningham was finally free to explore the real estate, earning an All-NBA nod — and his first trip to the playoffs — in the process. He increased his usage rate to a career-high 32.3% and his efficiency improved, thanks in part to a higher free-throw rate. If he starts knocking down pull-up 3s with consistency, it’s over.” 

Thompson, meanwhile, established himself as a defensive standout in his second seasons with the Pistons, though the No. 5 overall pick from the 2023 NBA Draft did average 10.1 points per game, to go with 5.1 rebounds and 1.7 steals.

“At the end of the Pistons’ first-round series against the Knicks, Jalen Brunson said, ‘That dude was tough to play against,’ Herbert writes. “Thompson is already an All-Defense-caliber player, just like his twin brother, but didn’t get the honor last season because he played only 59 games. Offensively, as effective as he is as a cutter and secondary playmaker, what’s most exciting about Thompson is his potential as a creator. Guys this athletic don’t typically have his feel and passing ability. Shooting remains a glaring weakness, however.”

Other notables in the CBS Sports top-100 rankings who have ties to the state of Michigan:

▶ 90. Jordan Poole, shooting guard, New Orleans Pelicans (Michigan)

▶ 48. Draymond Green, power forward, Golden State Warriors (Saginaw/Michigan State)

▶ 33. Franz Wagner, power forward, Dallas Mavericks (Michigan)

▶ 20. Jaren Jackson Jr., power forward, Memphis Grizzlies (Michigan State)

▶ 16. Devin Booker, shooting guard, Phoenix Suns (Grand Rapids)

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