“Cade Cunningham is going to be a tough cover for a long time. I love his game”: Kevin Durant shows love to the Pistons rookie after their first-ever matchup

After the Nets-Pistons clash, Kevin Durant had some huge praises for Cade Cunningham. The superstar was seen entering his postgame interview with the Pistons rookie’s jersey.

Cade Cunningham has had a tough past few weeks. After sitting out the first four games of his career with a sprain injury, he made his NBA debut against the Magic with an underwhelming 2-point (12.5% shooting) outing.

Four games into his career, even though he has been on a shooting slump, it is pretty evident that the Pistons rookie has been improving tremendously after each game. Coming off his best performance, 18-point and 10 rebounds double-double, in a 109-98 loss against the Sixers, the #1 pick of the 2021 Draft looked strong on Friday night playing the Brooklyn Nets.

In a game that saw 4 lead changes and 5 ties, finished with the star-studded Brooklyn team grabbing a 96-90 win at the Little Caesars Arena. It was an outstanding outing for the All-Star duo of Kevin Durant (29 points, 10 rebounds) and James Harden (13-point triple-double).

Also Read: NBA analyst mocks Pistons rookie after historically slow start to his season

Even though the Pistons lost their 4^th straight game, there will be some positive takeaways for the franchise. Cade has been improving with each game. On Friday night, the #1 pick recorded 17 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and a steal. Even though the Pistons lost their 4^th straight game, there will be some positive takeaways for the franchise. Cade has been improving with each game. On Friday night, the #1 pick recorded 17 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and a steal.

Kevin Durant enters his postgame interview exchanging jerseys with Cade Cunningham

After the game, KD and Cade, who have been in touch since the latter was in high school, decided to exchange jerseys. During his postgame press conference, The Durantula was seen with Cade’s jersey. The 2014 MVP even had some huge praises for the 20-year-old.

“I love Cade’s game, I think he’s going to be a tough, tough cover for a long, long time. I got to know him while he was in high school so we built a little relationship. To play against him in the NBA is what we had a lot of conversations about — being on this level and what it took. He battled some injuries to start but to come out here and play aggressive tonight, he hit some big shots for them. I’m happy for him, looking forward to seeing his career.”

Also Read: Warriors’ superstar shines on both ends of the floor, as the Warriors’ beat the Zion Williamson-less Pelicans

The Detroit rookie has been averaging 10.8 points,  5.8 rebounds, and 2.8 assists so far. It is way too early, not to mention simply disrespectful, to term Cunningham a “bust”. Judging his past two games, it really feels like Cunningham has gotten his confidence back. With time, he’ll definitely find his rhythm and be efficient in his shooting.