“Cade Cunningham has the worst field goal percentage in the NBA”: How the Pistons rookie has been struggling to find a groove ahead of matchup with LeBron James and the Lakers

Cade Cunningham currently has the worst field goal percentage in the NBA as he’s finding it difficult to acclimate to the NBA. 

Cade Cunningham at the number one overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft seemed like a no-brainer at the time. Out of all the prospects that were projected to be lottery picks, Cade seemed to be the most polished on the offensive end of the floor; everything from his passing vision in the half-court to his shooting and driving ability off the dribble. 

Unlike his fellow rookies like Jalen Green, Evan Mobley, and Scottie Barnes, Cade did not start the 2021-22 NBA season off. He was sidelined due to a right ankle sprain. Compared to his rookie counterparts, he’s only played in 14 games and in those 14 games, he’s proven that he’s finding it relatively difficult to acclimate to the NBA.

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This isn’t to say that Cade Cunningham hasn’t shown flashes of what he can be, because he most certainly has. However, when it comes to his shooting the ball outside of 5 feet from the basket, he hasn’t looked all too good. 

Cade Cunningham and his horrendous field goal percentage. 

Cade Cunningham is currently shooting the ball at the worst rate in the entire league. His field goal percentage sits at 33.2%, which is actually a percent less than last season’s worst FG% leader, Aleksej Pokusevski at 34.1%. 

Granted, it has only been 14 games and with him looking active on the court, seems as though he’s healed from his right ankle sprain. As said before, the Pistons rookie has shown quite many flashes of potentially becoming what he was thought to have become once fully developed.

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The main reason as to why his FG% is so low is simply because he’s missing makeable shots. The shots he took in college are similar to what he’s taking now, especially from beyond the arc. However, like many players in the league who are experiencing a slump, so is Cade Cunningham. 

He is also shooting a horrid 20.7% from 25 feet and beyond on 82 attempts and isn’t shooting more than 43% from any 5-foot zone beyond five feet from the basket. As said before however, it has only been 14 games and deciding his fate in this league based off that would be incredibly foolish.