Some of the best players in NBA history have done more than just score and defend. They elevate others around them and make a team better which ultimately brings collective success, and Kendrick Perkins, who has played with some pretty big legends, feels Cade Cunningham is among them.
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Perkins, who has shared the court with LeBron James during his time on the Cleveland Cavaliers, recently shed light on how players like him and James Harden make sure those around them also shine. And that’s what Cunningham is doing at the Pistons, according to the 2008 champ.
The player Perkins chose to highlight to make his point was Jalen Duren, who after Cunningham, has been the most important player for Detroit in the 2025-26 season.
“Cade is so great, he’s giving me LeBron James and James Harden vibes,” Perkins said on the Road Trippin’ podcast. “When you talk about Bron and James, the one thing we can agree on is a lot of motherf****** that player with them, had career years…”
Perkins named a few players who thrived alongside the likes of Harden James. Tristan Thompson, Clint Capela, and Ivica Zubac were among them. Zubac, in fact, went on record earlier this season to explain how Harden’s presence on the Clippers helped him enjoy the best basketball of his career.
“Guess who else is having a career year? Jalen Duren, All Star” Perkins added. “80% of his buckets come from a pick and roll, down screens…”
Kendrick Perkins on Cade Cunningham:
“Cade is so great, he’s giving me LeBron James and James Harden vibes. When you talk about Bron and James, the one thing we can agree on is a lot of MFers that player with them, had career years…. Guess who else is having a career year?… pic.twitter.com/IOdIEiCFZF
— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) March 22, 2026
It’s a good catch. Duren has averaged 18.6 points and 10.6 rebounds per game, and has become an invaluable piece for the Pistons’ project. Cunningham, because of his elite ball facilitation and the attention he draws from defenders on the court, allows Duren to express himself to his fullest.
That’s also what James did, especially during his Cleveland Cavs championship run in 2016, when he made a lot of his teammates look better than they were perceived to be before.
Sadly, for Duren, he will have to go at it alone, for now. Cunningham, last week, got diagnosed with a collapsed lung which has ruled him out of action indefinitely. Can he perform the same without the former No. 1 draft pick out on court? Perkins would say no.
