With each passing game, Cade Cunningham looks more and more like a franchise player for the Pistons. But one of the greatest players in franchise history isn't sold.
Dave Bing, who was recently named to the NBA's 75th Anniversary All-Time Team, raised doubts about Cunningham as the centerpiece of the Pistons' future during the broadcast of Detroit's loss to the Nets on Sunday.
Bing said that Cunningham is "starting to come into his own" after an ankle injury plagued him in the early going and that "he's been playing very, very well."
"I think he's going to be an All-Star caliber player. I don't think he's a guy you build your team around," Bing said on Bally Sports Detroit. "We still gotta get that guy. We don't have it yet, in my opinion. I also think our weakness is the backcourt. We gotta get a good point guard."
It's odd timing on the part of Bing, if nothing else. Cunningham has recently played like a superstar in the making. He's averaging 22.7 points and shooting over 50 percent from three in his last six games. He could cut down on the turnovers, but so could every rookie.
Bing's comments might be a bigger indictment on Killian Hayes, the former sixth overall pick and the Pistons' purported point guard of the future. Bing, a Hall of Fame point guard himself, apparently doesn't believe in Hayes to fulfill that vision.
The 20-year-old is averaging 6.3 points and 3.7 assists this season, down from 6.8 points and 5.3 assists last season -- in the same amount of playing time.
The scoring responsibilities of Cunningham will expand even further in the coming weeks with Jerami Grant sidelined with a thumb injury and fueling trade talks around the NBA. More playmaking from Hayes would help.
