Cade Cunningham is being called “elite” after the Pistons’ loss to Pacers

The first half of Wednesday night's game between the Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers didn't go as planned for star veteran Cade Cunningham.

Cunningham took eight shots from the field after 17 minutes and was successful on one of his attempts. With that single basket and a handful of free throws, Cunningham only had six points before halftime against the Pacers.

Despite the star's goalscoring difficulties, Cunningham showed off his game performance and provided six assists. The Pistons managed to build a 58-49 lead over the Pacers in the first half of the game.

Then, in the third quarter, Cunningham found his shot. In his next 11 minutes on the court, he was nearly perfect from the field, making all but one of his nine shots and dropping 18 of the Pistons' 32 points.

In the eyes of first-year Pistons head coach JB Bickerstaff, Cunningham was simply elite. And that's no shock to the former Cleveland Cavaliers head coach, who has seen a lot from Cade over the years.

“I mean, he is,” Bickerstaff told reporters after the game. “He's one of the elite talents in our league. “He has the ability to stick with it and get it going like he did tonight. That’s what we’re going to need from him all year long.”

On the other hand, Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle had similar praise for the young veteran.

“He’s a great young player — an All-Star player,” the Pacers coach said. “When he made the three-pointer at the end of the third quarter, it was a big momentum play. Our guys probably could have hung their heads there, but we didn't. We had a quick response.”

After just one game, Cunningham and the Pistons are looking for consistency. As good as his second half was, Cunningham knows he needs to be able to be as productive for four quarters to help teams like the Pacers win.

Despite holding a double-digit lead over the Pacers, Indiana was slated for a late-game comeback. The Pacers defeated the Pistons with a 115-109 victory.

Cunningham finished the night with 28 points on 10-for-23 shooting from the field in 36 minutes. He also provided eight assists and had five rebounds. Personally, Cunningham had an outstanding season debut.