Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren earn All-NBA honors after Detroit Pistons’ historic turnaround

DETROIT – Detroit Pistons stars Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren were named to the 2025-26 All-NBA teams.

Cunningham was named to the All-NBA First Team, and Duren was named to the All-NBA Third Team on Sunday (May 24).

The recognition marks Cunningham’s second career All-NBA selection and Duren’s first, capping one of the most successful regular seasons in franchise history.

Cunningham joins elite company

Cunningham helped guide Detroit to a 60-22 record and the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, the franchise’s first 60-win season since 2005-06.

The Pistons’ 60 victories tied for the third-most in franchise history and secured the organization’s 10th Central Division title.

The 6’6” guard averaged 23.9 points, a career-high 9.9 assists, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 46.1% from the field.

That stat line placed him in rare air as he became just the sixth player in NBA history to average at least 23 points, nine assists, and five rebounds in a season, joining LeBron James, Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden, whose Cleveland Cavaliers eliminated the Pistons in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semi-finals.

Cunningham finished second in the NBA in assists per game and posted the sixth-highest single-season assist average in Pistons history.

He and Jokic were the only players in the league this season to hit those marks simultaneously.

A two-time NBA All-Star, Cunningham also led all guards with 38 double-doubles, tying Bad Boys legend Isiah Thomas for the third-most by a guard in a single season in franchise history.

Cunningham earned Eastern Conference Player of the Month honors in both November and February, becoming the only player to win the award twice this season.

Defensively, Cunningham held opponents to 43% shooting as the primary defender, ranking fourth among NBA guards, while setting career highs in steals (92) and blocks (54).

Motor Cade’s standout performance came Nov. 10 against the Washington Wizards, when he recorded a career-high 46 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists, five steals, and two blocks.

The showing made him one of only three players in the past decade, alongside Doncic and Jokic, to post at least 40 points, 10 assists, three steals, and two blocks in a single game.

In a Feb. 19 road win over the Eastern Conference favorites to make it to the NBA Finals, New York Knicks, Cunningham totaled 42 points, 13 assists, and eight rebounds at Madison Square Garden.

That performance put him in the company of former Pistons guard Allen Iverson and Harden, whose Cavs trail the Knicks 0-3 in the Eastern Conference Finals, as the only players in NBA history to reach those marks in a game at the arena.

Duren’s breakout fourth season

Duren turned in a breakout fourth season for Detroit, averaging career highs of 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game while shooting 65.0% from the field.

He also contributed two assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.8 blocks in 28.2 minutes per contest in the regular season.

Duren was the only player in the NBA this season to average at least 19 points and 10 rebounds while shooting better than 60% from the floor.

He ranked second in the NBA in points in the paint per game at 14.6, trailing only Zion Williamson.

Duren finished third in the league with 26 double-doubles featuring at least 13 rebounds, fourth with 265 offensive rebounds, and sixth with 737 total rebounds.

His top outing came Nov. 17 against Indiana, when he recorded 31 points on 12-of-13 shooting with 15 rebounds and three assists, making him just the fourth player in the past 30 years to post at least 30 points and 15 rebounds while shooting 90% or better from the field.

Duren also posted two games this season with at least 30 points while shooting 90% from the field, tying Dwight Howard for the second-most such games by a primary center in a season in NBA history, behind Wilt Chamberlain.

In January, Duren surpassed 3,000 career points, becoming the youngest center in Pistons history to reach the milestone and the sixth-youngest primary center in NBA history to do so.

His .652 career field-goal percentage through four seasons ranks fourth-highest in NBA history among players with at least 800 made field goals.

The former No. 13 overall pick also earned Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors for games played Feb. 23 through March 1.

With the selection, Duren is eligible for a historic five-year supermax rookie extension worth about $287M.

If offered and he signs, Duren would be expected to make around 49.5M and reach $65.3M in the final year of the contract, following a drop-off in production during the first round against the Orlando Magic and the Cavaliers in the playoffs.

A franchise reborn

Detroit’s remarkable turnaround completed one of the largest reversals in league history.

The Pistons became just the second NBA franchise, alongside the San Antonio Spurs, to go from a 60-loss season to a 60-win season within a two-year span.

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