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"They know when to take over games" - D-Wade says Cade Cunningham reminds him of Brandon Roy
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- "They know when to take over games" - D-Wade says Cade Cunningham reminds him of Brandon Roy
Detroit Pistons superstar guard Cade Cunningham is only in his fifth season in the NBA, but the No.1 overall pick of the 2021 NBA Draft has emerged as one of the best players in the league right now.
With the Pistons firmly atop the Eastern Conference team standings this season, more and more people are starting to notice and talk about Cunningham. Ahead of Detroit's Friday game against the Houston Rockets , it was Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade 's turn to give his take on the former Oklahoma State standout, and D-Wade likened him to one of the most underrated players in NBA history.
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"It's a guy named Brandon Roy ," said Wade. "I know a lot of people in the basketball world may have forgotten about Brandon Roy, but these two guys are big guards who play with pace, they play with patience. You can never rush them. They let the game come to them, they're the organizers of their team, and the biggest thing about them is that late in games is when they organize, and they know when to take over games."
B-Roy was a clutch performer
Brandon Roy was the Portland Trail Blazers ' 6th overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft. After winning Rookie of the Year honors in 2007, he became an All-Star and an All-NBA player before injuries ended his NBA career after just six NBA seasons.
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However, while Roy's tenure in the association was short, it was unforgettable. He was one of the best clutch players in the league of his era. Brandon had seven game-winners during his NBA career and many games in which he took over down the stretch for the Blazers.
Wade knows this firsthand, having played against Roy nine times, and the Blazers won six of those games. As a two-way guard, D-Wade had the unenviable task of defending B-Roy, and he admitted it was never easy matching up with him.
"Brandon Roy was tough to guard because of his patience as a big guard, but late in games is when you really have to worry about a Brandon Roy, so Cade reminds me of him," Wade added.
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McCants called Cunningham the "2025 B-Roy"
Curiously, Wade isn't the first former NBA player to draw a parallel between Cunningham and Roy. One year ago, former Minnesota Timberwolves guard Rashad McCants dubbed Cade as the modern-day version of the ex-Blazers star, highlighting their similarities in size and skill.
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" Cade Cunningham is 2025 Brandon Roy," said McCants. "His everything is like that. He's everything and he's 6'6". He got all of this. He got all the B-Roy spin, He got the B-Roy patience, he got all of them, old-school game. He nice. You should watch him. That's somebody you should watch."
Entering Friday's games, Cunningham is averaging 25.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, 9.8 assists and 1.4 steals per game. He is currently No. 7 on the latest Kia NBA MVP Ladder and was recently named an All-Star starter for the first time in his career. As for the B-Roy comparisons, the only difference is that Cade will likely play longer than Brandon and reach his full potential.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Jan 24, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
