“Cade Cunningham has Larry Bird’s ability to play ahead of everybody due to his mentality”: Detroit Pistons GM draws comparisons between his rookie and the Celtics legend

According to Pistons General Manager Troy Weaver, Cade Cunningham has some similar traits to the Boston Celtics legend Larry Bird.

Apart from a few subpar performances in the initial games of his season, Cade Cunningham has had quite a phenomenal year. Sure, the Detroit Pistons are one of the worst teams in the league with a 20-55 record, however, Cunningham has showcased some sparks of being a superstar in the association.

Standing at 6-foot-6, Cade has the size to take it to the rack, has the ability to shoot the ball off-the-dribble, flashy handles, impressive vision, incredibly high basketball IQ, and is a capable defender on the other end of the court.

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Throughout the course of his rookie season, Cunningham has been compared to several players in the league, past and present. Troy Weaver, the General Manager of the Pistons, took things one step ahead drawing comparisons between the 20-year-old and former Celtics legend Larry Bird.

“If Cade Cunningham ever reaches Larry Bird’s status, it’s over”: Troy Weaver

According to Troy, Cunningham has a similar mentality that helped Larry Bird play ahead of everybody. Weaver explained:

“Larry Bird was incredible with his mind. He was just able to play ahead of everybody because of his mentality, and Cade has some of that,” Weaver says. “I think in time Cade’s mind will allow him to always be a couple steps ahead. … If he ever reaches Larry Bird’s status, it’s over.”

In a Sports Illustrated article, Michael Pina further penned down Cunningham’s obsession with watching mixtapes of Larry Legend, among many other all-time greats, on YouTube.

A couple of weeks ago, on a flight after a game, Cunningham was scrolling through Instagram when he saw a clip of Bird. (“Somebody posted something, and I was like, ‘Damn!’”) He searched for more footage on YouTube and noticed some of the more timeless similarities between him and an all-time great who retired nine years before Cade was born. “I watch a lot of highlights of guys, just to see what their bag was like. … I really like that comparison because, I mean, Larry Bird is …” Cunningham says, shaking his head. “I feel like Larry Bird is one of the greats, and he’s still almost underrated.”

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Of course, there is a long way for Cade to go before he can be in the same conversation as Larry Bird. However, the Pistons franchise will be optimistic in hoping that Cunningham is the next big superstar of the league.