Cade Cunningham Prove it Season?

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Last year I basically forgot Cade was a Piston, but determining his next steps right now? He hasn't played in a year, will have a completely new coach and system, and a bunch of new teammates, not to mention working to recover and work his body in ways that prevent that kind of injury.

There's just no telling at this point what will happen with Cade. It's odd, but I wouldn't be surprised if he did average 25, 6, and 6 leading the Pistons back up to mediocrity or if he simply got injured again after struggling to show much but empty stats. I really don't know.

My two biggest questions: Does he fit well with Ivey? Is he really a full time one? As painful as this might be, I could see where Cade is the starting three, Morris at the one, Ivey at the two, Duren at the five, and pick-you-bad-option at the four.

[mattao313]

To expand on what I stated earlier, think about Brown. He is listed #17. Now think about what a trainwreck he was(not to mention Tatum)at times during the playoffs.

There were multiple series against Miami that they played hot potato with the ball at the end of games, because neither of them are closers.

Now think back to Cade, and how he commanded the ball at the end of games, and crunch time taking over repeatedly at the end of games. He lead all rookies, and was #36 in the entire league in total points.

He has zero fear of the moment, and endured double, triple, and sometimes, because of how bad the roster was, the entire opposing team would collapse on just him, and he would still find a way to score.

If Cade ups his scoring into the 20's like he did for 5 games last year, before pain started to shut him down, oh boy.

26.6ppg
7.2rpg
6.6apg

Cade has already averaged more rebounds, and assists then Alexander ever has, and he's listed at #9. Its about his scoring. He ups that to the mid-twenties, and the team is winning?

Yup.

Everyone watched Cade have groups of games where he looked unstoppable during his rookie season, and several in the 11 games he played last year. A healthy Cade Cunningham is going to be a sight to behold.

Feel like you are really underrating jaylen brown. The gap between the 2 is big imo. Cade has a lot to improve on before he can be that type of scorer not even mention SGA who was a absolute monster last Year.

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Just for context, it took until browns 4th year for him to have a season comparable to Cades rookie season.

There is no gap between the two, only time on the court. Cade will prove that this year.

Cade just got more shots on a bad team jaylen brown was much more efficient his first years. Cade can't draw fouls and is terrible around the rim which is really concerning when looking at himself as a scorer

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[Spider156]

Cade will get his max even if he’s out for the season. That’s the nature of the NBA now just to keep talent you gotta pay them the max apparently.

[mattao313]

Cade will get his max even if he’s out for the season. That’s the nature of the NBA now just to keep talent you gotta pay them the max apparently.

No he wouldn't. If he missed next season he isn't gonna get an extension on his current body of work. He'd still have to prove himself in year 4.

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[Spider156]

Cade will get his max even if he’s out for the season. That’s the nature of the NBA now just to keep talent you gotta pay them the max apparently.

No he wouldn't. If he missed next season he isn't gonna get an extension on his current body of work. He'd still have to prove himself in year 4.

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I highly doubt it. I think he’ll get the max no matter what unless he shows that he sucks next year. If he’s out, he actually gets an easier time to get the max. I just see it happening that way. There’s no prove it. You picked him first, you pay him as a first based on his rookie season, he’s worth the max. Zion is the best example. We all know he’s worth the max, just won’t get the super max and that’s fine. But Cade will get his max 100% no matter what.

[K-Moe313]

I don't think Cade is a natural 1 in the NBA. I like him finishing the sets and isolated on the low or high post. I think asking him to be a facilitator is asking a lot. Maybe he can do it but based on the limited view that we've had of him, I would say he's a 2, 3 and in some situations a 4. Especially if Thompson comes along like I think he will.

[Spider156]

I don't think Cade is a natural 1 in the NBA. I like him finishing the sets and isolated on the low or high post. I think asking him to be a facilitator is asking a lot. Maybe he can do it but based on the limited view that we've had of him, I would say he's a 2, 3 and in some situations a 4. Especially if Thompson comes along like I think he will.

That’s a fine opinion. Good thing we have Ivey and Ausar who can also run the point guard as part time. I don’t see the issue. The reason Cade IS a point guard is because if you watch him enough you’ll notice the ball always comes out of his hands in the first quarter, it’s frustrating. He doesn’t get his points only sporadically in the first half and he takes over in the second half. Furthermore, he’s the tallest of the bunch being able to see above the defense. He’s also got the strongest crossover in the backcourt. He’s also got the strongest shot off the dribble. Add all that up and it would be disappointing to see Cade not play the point guard all year. If not then there’s still Ivey that can play point guard and we saw that last year. I don’t think it’ll be a problem. Monty wants to groom Duren as an Adebayo and if you watch Monty’s offense you’ll notice a lot of it comes off the big man passing the ball. So I can see multiple playmakers on the team and the team won’t miss a beat with Monte Morris coming in with the strongest AST/TO ratio on the team.

[K-Moe313]

I don't think Cade is a natural 1 in the NBA. I like him finishing the sets and isolated on the low or high post. I think asking him to be a facilitator is asking a lot. Maybe he can do it but based on the limited view that we've had of him, I would say he's a 2, 3 and in some situations a 4. Especially if Thompson comes along like I think he will.

That’s a fine opinion. Good thing we have Ivey and Ausar who can also run the point guard as part time. I don’t see the issue. The reason Cade IS a point guard is because if you watch him enough you’ll notice the ball always comes out of his hands in the first quarter, it’s frustrating. He doesn’t get his points only sporadically in the first half and he takes over in the second half. Furthermore, he’s the tallest of the bunch being able to see above the defense. He’s also got the strongest crossover in the backcourt. He’s also got the strongest shot off the dribble. Add all that up and it would be disappointing to see Cade not play the point guard all year. If not then there’s still Ivey that can play point guard and we saw that last year. I don’t think it’ll be a problem. Monty wants to groom Duren as an Adebayo and if you watch Monty’s offense you’ll notice a lot of it comes off the big man passing the ball. So I can see multiple playmakers on the team and the team won’t miss a beat with Monte Morris coming in with the strongest AST/TO ratio on the team.

Point taken and I agree that Monte Morris might make this a moot point when it's all said and done giving Coach Monty the luxury of taking Cade off the ball (at times if not exclusively).

Cade has played 76 games over the span of two seasons. His FG% is trash and his 3Pt% is worse. His assist/turnover ratio is less than 2:1 and he averages almost 4 turnovers per game. To me that means he has the ball in his hands too much at this point in his career. He shoots a decent percentage from the FT line and I would try to get Cade moving off the ball towards the basket to take advantage of his best statistical category.

At the end of the day, this is a good problem for Monty Williams to have and I can't wait to see how this plays out.

[Cowology]

I don't think Cade is a natural 1 in the NBA. I like him finishing the sets and isolated on the low or high post. I think asking him to be a facilitator is asking a lot. Maybe he can do it but based on the limited view that we've had of him, I would say he's a 2, 3 and in some situations a 4. Especially if Thompson comes along like I think he will.

That’s a fine opinion. Good thing we have Ivey and Ausar who can also run the point guard as part time. I don’t see the issue. The reason Cade IS a point guard is because if you watch him enough you’ll notice the ball always comes out of his hands in the first quarter, it’s frustrating. He doesn’t get his points only sporadically in the first half and he takes over in the second half. Furthermore, he’s the tallest of the bunch being able to see above the defense. He’s also got the strongest crossover in the backcourt. He’s also got the strongest shot off the dribble. Add all that up and it would be disappointing to see Cade not play the point guard all year. If not then there’s still Ivey that can play point guard and we saw that last year. I don’t think it’ll be a problem. Monty wants to groom Duren as an Adebayo and if you watch Monty’s offense you’ll notice a lot of it comes off the big man passing the ball. So I can see multiple playmakers on the team and the team won’t miss a beat with Monte Morris coming in with the strongest AST/TO ratio on the team.

Point taken and I agree that Monte Morris might make this a moot point when it's all said and done giving Coach Monty the luxury of taking Cade off the ball (at times if not exclusively).

Cade has played 76 games over the span of two seasons. His FG% is trash and his 3Pt% is worse. His assist/turnover ratio is less than 2:1 and he averages almost 4 turnovers per game. To me that means he has the ball in his hands too much at this point in his career. He shoots a decent percentage from the FT line and I would try to get Cade moving off the ball towards the basket to take advantage of his best statistical category.

At the end of the day, this is a good problem for Monty Williams to have and I can't wait to see how this plays out.

Not the same caliber of player, but Cade is built in the Kobe/Wade mold. He's capable of handling the ball and facilitating, but there is a reason we've always tried to pair him with Hayes/CoJo (and now Ivey). He's not a PG. You hope he develops into a 25-7-7 type of player who can stuff the stat sheet and provide decent D.

People most often compare him to Luka (lite), but the Mavs did the same thing with their "PG" pairing him Brunson/Dinwiddie and now Kyrie.

That said, playing PG is still good for Cade's development early on. These are good skills to work on, even if ultimately he falls into another bucket or under another label, but I do think he's more of a SG or combo guard.

[Cowology]

Duplicate post

[Cowology]

I don't think Cade is a natural 1 in the NBA. I like him finishing the sets and isolated on the low or high post. I think asking him to be a facilitator is asking a lot. Maybe he can do it but based on the limited view that we've had of him, I would say he's a 2, 3 and in some situations a 4. Especially if Thompson comes along like I think he will.

That’s a fine opinion. Good thing we have Ivey and Ausar who can also run the point guard as part time. I don’t see the issue. The reason Cade IS a point guard is because if you watch him enough you’ll notice the ball always comes out of his hands in the first quarter, it’s frustrating. He doesn’t get his points only sporadically in the first half and he takes over in the second half. Furthermore, he’s the tallest of the bunch being able to see above the defense. He’s also got the strongest crossover in the backcourt. He’s also got the strongest shot off the dribble. Add all that up and it would be disappointing to see Cade not play the point guard all year. If not then there’s still Ivey that can play point guard and we saw that last year. I don’t think it’ll be a problem. Monty wants to groom Duren as an Adebayo and if you watch Monty’s offense you’ll notice a lot of it comes off the big man passing the ball. So I can see multiple playmakers on the team and the team won’t miss a beat with Monte Morris coming in with the strongest AST/TO ratio on the team.

Point taken and I agree that Monte Morris might make this a moot point when it's all said and done giving Coach Monty the luxury of taking Cade off the ball (at times if not exclusively).

Cade has played 76 games over the span of two seasons. His FG% is trash and his 3Pt% is worse. His assist/turnover ratio is less than 2:1 and he averages almost 4 turnovers per game. To me that means he has the ball in his hands too much at this point in his career. He shoots a decent percentage from the FT line and I would try to get Cade moving off the ball towards the basket to take advantage of his best statistical category.

At the end of the day, this is a good problem for Monty Williams to have and I can't wait to see how this plays out.

Not the same caliber of player, but Cade is built in the Kobe/Wade/Derozan mold. He's capable of handling the ball and facilitating, but there is a reason we've always tried to pair him with Hayes/CoJo (and now Ivey). He's not a PG. You hope he develops into a 25-7-7 type of player who can stuff the stat sheet and provide decent D.

People most often compare him to Luka (lite), but the Mavs did the same thing with their "PG" pairing him Brunson/Dinwiddie and now Kyrie.

That said, playing PG is still good for Cade's development early on. These are good skills to work on, even if ultimately he falls into another bucket or under another label, but I do think he's more of a SG or combo guard.

[whitehops]

i think a lot of people need to see cade play again. if 'PG' means floor general or lead ball handler then he's absolutely a PG and by far the best option we have there.

one of the reasons why i loved the marcus sasser pick is because i think (eventually) he would be a perfect guard next to cade. cade runs the offense and sasser is the point of attack defender. ivey could fill that role too but his defense is... underwhelming.

[Cowology]

i think a lot of people need to see cade play again. if 'PG' means floor general or lead ball handler then he's absolutely a PG and by far the best option we have there.

one of the reasons why i loved the marcus sasser pick is because i think (eventually) he would be a perfect guard next to cade. cade runs the offense and sasser is the point of attack defender. ivey could fill that role too but his defense is... underwhelming.

Traditional titles are problematic in general as the games evolved and there are a million different hybrids. I'd just be looking to find a many ways as possible to get Ivey the ball going downhill. We want him pushing the ball in transition and looking for early offense opportunities before the defense is set.

Then, I'd look to establish Cade in the half-court. Ivey has to learn to move without the ball and be an active cutter. Cade should very much be the person who or half-court offense runs through. I'm not sure that makes him a "pg", unless you consider every teams #1 option to also be a pg.