“I’m hoping Kawhi Leonard will guard me”: Cade Cunningham is eager to play against the Clippers’ 2x DPOY in the upcoming NBA season

Arjun Julka | 18/08/2021
"I'm hoping Kawhi Leonard will guard me": Cade Cunningham is eager to play against the Clippers' 2x DPOY in the upcoming NBA season

Cade Cunningham wants to see 2x DPOY Kawhi Leonard guarding him. The Pistons rookie said he’s waiting for the Clippers star’s challenge.

The Pistons guard has been making quite the noise ever since he has been drafted to the Pistons. Recently, the 19-year was in the news for calling LeBron James the GOAT over Michael Jordan.

In his 3 games in the Summer league, Cunningham averaged 18 PPG, 5.6 RPG, and 1.6 SPG on a 42.9% shooting from the field and an impressive 50.0% from the 3-point line.

The Texas native played college basketball for the Oklahoma State Cowboys, becoming the 1st five-star recruit since Marcus Smart. Listed at 6’8, Cunningham’s size allows him to defend as well.

The Pistons guard is an efficient 3-point shooter and even has the clutch gene in him if his college basketball career is to go by. In only his 6th game, Cunningham hit a game-winning 3-pointer on the road against Wichita State.

Also read: “Five years down the line I will be in the NBA, hopefully, an All-Star”: When Detroit’s #1 pick Cade Cunningham predicted his future back in a 2017 basketball camp

Cunningham seems locked in for the 2020-21 season, which is still a couple of months away. The 1st pick in the 2021 Draft is looking forward to meeting the Klaw in the future.

Cade Cunningham is ready to be guarded by Kawhi Leonard

The former Oklahoma State Cowboys player expressed his desire to be guarded by the 2x NBA champion and Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard. The 19-year old is high on energy and wants to make a mark for himself in the league.

One cannot deny that the young rookie seems confident about himself challenging a superstar like Kawhi, as we all know what the Clippers superstar did to Giannis Antentokounmpo during the 2019 conference finals. After being down 0-2 during the series, Kawhi decided to guard the Greek Freak. The result being Raptors would win the next 4 games and would go on to be crowned 2019 NBA champions.

Kawhi is a 3x NBA All-Defensive First Team and 4x Defensive Second Team. The superstar also won the DPOY back-to-back in 2015-16.

 

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However, Cunningham will have to wait for a while since Kawhi’s return from his ACL tear is still unknown. The Clippers superstar suffered from an ACL injury during the conference semi-finals.

Also read: “All that Michael Jordan stuff is different, but LeBron James is my GOAT”: Pistons’ rookie Cade Cunningham explains why he ranks Lakers star above the Bulls legend in the GOAT debate

Post Edited By: Amulya Shekhar
Cade Cunningham Detroit Pistons Kawhi Leonard la clippers

About the author

Arjun Julka

Arjun Julka is a NBA author at The SportsRush. Basketball isn’t just a sport for this 26-year-old, who hails from Mumbai. He began watching the sport after stumbling upon a court in his society, helping him identify an undiscovered passion for the game of hoops. Now an ardent fan, Arjun supports Stephen Curry and the Warriors but also enjoys watching Giannis Antetokounmpo own the paint. When it comes to the GOAT debate, the TSR author feels LeBron James is yet to receive a lot of his due but cannot deny marveling at Michael Jordan’s resume.

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