“If Cade Cunningham went to the OKC Thunder this draft, Detroit would have the 2 best players in the trade”: NBA analyst mocks Pistons rookie after historically slow start to his season

Arun Sharma | 06/11/2021
"If Cade Cunningham went to the OKC Thunder this draft, Detroit would have the 2 best players in the trade": NBA analyst mocks Pistons rookie after historically slow start to his season

Cade Cunningham had the worst start imaginable to his NBA career. People have already written him off.

The Detroit Pistons drafted Cade Cunningham with their pick, but he had a horrid start to his career. He was injured for the first 5 games of the season, and his debut saw him score two, with one shot on target. He ended the game with 12.5% shooting, the worst since Anthony Bennett for the Cavaliers.

There were reports of OKC offering Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the 6th pick of the 2021 draft in exchange for the 1st pick, which did not go through.

At this point it looks like it was a lucky stroke that it did not go through – Shai is a superstar in the making and Josh Giddey (drafted with that 6th pick) had a much better start to his career.

The key point here is – At this moment it looks like Cade is the wrong choice. That maybe the case, but Cade can definitely come good. He’s played 3 games, and people already have written him off.

The late Kobe Bryant had 11 0-point games in his rookie season, and he ended his career as the then 3rd best scorer of all time. Calling him the biggest bust in almost a decade would be foolish to say the least.

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Cade Cunningham will still come good – He was a star at the collegiate level

Not everyone is a MJ or a Shaq when they come into the league – there is always an adjustment period. Granted, Cade’s struggles have been enormous, and highly concerning for a number 1 pick, but there is a lifetime left to judge him.

OKC may have gone on a pick acquiring mania this off-season, but it is good that they kept Shai – He looks like he is the one to take them forward.

He’s a young PG who they can build the team around. He, in fact, led them to 2 wins over the Lakers this season. Cade also just had a career night, with 18 points and 10 rebounds in the loss to the 76ers. He still struggled shooting-wise, but the signs are there.

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Don’t write off a rookie who has played 3 games professionally so far: He is there in the NBA for a reason. Even the last in rotation are better than the rest of us, such is the competition. Support him through his struggles, and watch his game grow with confidence.

Post Edited By: Amulya Shekhar
Cade Cunningham Detroit Pistons Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

About the author

Arun Sharma

Arun Sharma is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. A double degree holder and a digital marketer by trade, Arun has always been a sports buff. He fell in love with the sport of basketball at a young age and has been a Lakers fan since 2006. What started as a Kobe Bryant obsession slowly turned into a lifelong connection with the purple and gold. Arun has been an ardent subscriber to the Mamba mentality and has shed tears for a celebrity death only once in his life. He believes January 26, 2020, was the turning point in the passage of time because Kobe was the glue holding things together. From just a Lakers bandwagoner to a basketball fanatic, Arun has spent 16 long years growing up along with the league. He thinks Stephen Curry has ruined basketball forever, and the mid-range game is a sight to behold. Sharma also has many opinions about football (not the American kind), F1, MotoGP, tennis, and cricket.

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