Cade Cunningham: Pistons' 28-Game Losing Streak '1 of the Most Humbling Experiences'

The Detroit Pistons' historic 28-game losing streak might be over, but Pistons players won't forget about it any time soon.

"This has been one of the most humbling experiences for me in my life, just as far as grounding myself and knowing that there's still so much work to do," Pistons guard Cade Cunningham told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski Friday on "The Woj Pod."

"I felt like, even just as an individual, something like this could never happen to me," Cunningham said. "I felt like I was so good, I couldn't do that. I've understood, and I realized, it takes more than getting your own. It takes more than feeling good about your game."

"I had to figure out how to make the game easier for my teammates, I had to figure out how to apply the system coach had in place to my teammates, and how to make us all better. There are still a lot of things to learn, for me and the whole team."

The Pistons beat the Toronto Raptors 129-127 on Dec. 30 at home, coming one game shy of setting a new NBA record for the most consecutive losses ever recorded.

Cunningham had 30 points and 12 assists during that victory.

The losing streak was difficult for a young star who previously said his goal is to "be a great leader" for the Pistons, per ESPN's Eric Woodyard.

"To continue to try to bring it, and encourage the team, encourage the group to win this game, to have the energy up, and it still not go your way— over time, after so many games, it's hard to keep it going," Cunningham told Wojnarowski.

"Being a leader, you can't take days off. You have to keep it going. I think that's the main thing that I learned, is just a lot about myself and how much I want it, for me and for the team, and what it takes to continue to be solid for the group even when things aren't going your way."

Cunningham, who was limited by injury to 12 games last season, was hoping for a bounce-back campaign for both himself and the team in 2023-24.

Despite Cunningham averaging a career-best 23.2 points and 7.5 assists per game, including two 40-balls during the team's historic losing streak, the Pistons have just three wins through 34 games.

They are now on track to finish within the bottom three in the league for the third consecutive time since selecting Cunningham with the first overall pick of the 2021 draft.

"I think the last two weeks we played good basketball, we put ourselves in a lot of games, gave ourselves shots to win, the ball just hasn't gone our way a few times," Cunningham. "We're just going to keep going. The season's not ended. The league's not going anywhere. Can't run from these games, they're on the schedule. You've got to keep going."

"It's definitely tough, knowing how bad our city wants it, and we're just not there yet. It definitely sparks that fire, to want to see it through to the other side and win for them."

The Pistons will look for wins against other league-bottom teams over the coming weeks, as they face the 5-29 San Antonio Spurs on Jan. 10 followed by a Jan. 15 contest against the 6-27 Washington Wizards.