Bickerstaff Praises Cunningham: “He Reminds Me of Dwyane Wade”
The Pistons head coach, J.B. Bickerstaff, compares Cade Cunningham to Dwyane Wade for his impact, flair and leadership
There’s a moment in every player’s career when talent stops being potential and becomes certainty. It’s not a stat, not a single win. It’s a collective feeling – and Cade Cunningham seems to have entered that phase.
Leading the Detroit Pistons to the best record in the league isn’t just a number. The team has blossomed, perhaps faster than expected, transforming its talent into structure and into a habit of winning.
The comparison to Dwyane Wade isn’t random. It’s not just about highlight plays, but about the ability to bend the rhythm of a game to your will. Wade became “Flash” when he started dominating the unpredictable.
There are nights when you see a play and think, ‘Man, this kid is cold.’ Then a week later he does something that leaves you speechless. He reminds me of Dwyane Wade – the year he became ‘Flash,’ when he’d fall backward and throw the ball up over his head… and it would still go in.
J.B. Bickerstaff
Cunningham – widely praised at the All-Star Game – now seems to be doing the same. It’s not just about offensive production of 25 points per game on 47% shooting, but the perception that, in clutch moments, the ball has to be in his hands. And that something, somehow, will happen.
Why the Dwyane Wade Comparison Fits
The reference to “The Matrix” reveals another dimension: awareness. Believing you’re “the chosen one” for a franchise that has spent too long at the bottom of the standings isn’t arrogance – it’s an affirmation of identity. It’s the invisible gap that separates good players from those who define an era.
The numbers reinforce the narrative. Thinking Cunningham is in the conversation solely because of his scoring output – the first element that led his coach to invoke the D-Wade comparison – is far too simplistic. The former Oklahoma State product has a systemic impact and is showing the ability to change the trajectory of a franchise.
If the season ended today, his name would forcefully enter the debate. And if Detroit is dominating the Eastern Conference – and sits just two games behind the NBA-best OKC (42-14) – much of the credit belongs to the player wearing No. 2.