Cade Cunnningham HAS ARRIVED

[EliteSmarts]

Cade Cunningham has arrived and is living up to his pre draft hype and the #1 overall selection. Now we have an NBA star & NBA Mega Superstar telling the world that Cade & Detroit Pistons got legit future in the NBA!

Tobias Harris from Philly 76ers

DETROIT–The Philadelphia 76ers entered Little Caesars Arena on Thursday evening looking to bounce back. They were coming off a close loss at home and they had an opportunity to get back after it against the Detroit Pistons who sported a 20-56 record entering the game.

The Pistons are led by a gifted rookie in Cade Cunningham who is making a serious push for Rookie of the Year after a slow start. He had 27 points to lead the Pistons to a 102-94 upset win over the Sixers on Thursday and he caught the eye of the Sixers after the game.


“I mean he’s a great player,” said Sixers veteran Tobias Harris. “Obviously, earlier in the season, he was just finding his way, but once they kind of gave him the keys to run the offense and do what he’s got to do out there. He’s blossoming in his own, but yes, his pace out there in the game of controlling, he’s a really good pick-and-roll player. He’s out there making plays for other guys getting downhill. So, he’s tough.”

Kevin Durant from Brooklyn Nets

That night, in Brooklyn, Cunningham scored 34 points in 32 minutes. He traded buckets with Kevin Durant and outplayed Kyrie Irving, as the star-studded Nets needed 80 combined minutes from their Hall of Fame duo to hold off the Pistons, 130-123. Cunningham tied his career high in points, doing so with just three free-throw attempts and, essentially, missing the entire second quarter. The first time Cunningham scored 34 points was in January against the Nuggets. In that game, he didn’t shoot a single free throw.

The NBA might not be ready for Cunningham, but he’s here.

“You got a 6-7 point guard, ****, it’s a good start, you know?” Durant said of Cunningham and the Pistons’ future. “Somebody that can wreck a whole defensive gameplan with his size and timing and skill, so it’s a great start. Then you’ve got Saddiq Bey and Marvin Bagley, Jerami Grant, Isaiah Stewart — man, you’ve got just length and toughness down the line and a great coaching staff that’s going to get the best out of their players. I can see this team being something, a force to be reckoned with in the future.”

Quotes from...
https://www.detroitbadboys.com/2022/3/31/23001086/detroit-pistons-cade-cunningham-the-half-court-maestro
https://theathletic.com/3218700/2022/03/30/edwards-the-nba-isnt-ready-for-cade-cunningham-but-hes-here/

[Appostis]

It'll be interesting to see which of the 3 (Mobley, Barnes, Case) has the best career in the end.

It's a odd situation that has ROY chances are hurt by the other two being on winning teams.

[God Squad]

He's been stright up ballin' since all all star break and particularly March. Shame on those who called him a Bust after a slow start to his 'rookie' year. Same goes for Jalen Green IMO, whose been scorching of late.

[NO-KG-AI]

As a bettor, it seems like since the all star break the Pistons have constantly had close games or stolen games they were massive underdogs in. Cade is a big part of them hanging in tough with almost everyone, even if they come up short.

[Pachinko_]

I havent watched a single Pistons game this year, I'll watch this one Vs Sixers now and let you know what I think

[Mavrelous]

He's been playing great from the beginning, except he wasn't making his jumpshots/layups, it was clear he'd start hitting sometime.

[picc]

He has that natural feel for the game you look for in a star player. Just makes the right reads. Has a lot of improvisational skill on offense. Reminds me of Trae Young a little bit.

[MrBigShot]

He's shown why he was the number one pick. He has a tremendous feel for the game. Terrific handle, uses his body/length well, has a plethora of advanced moves ranging from post hooks to spins to fadeaway jumpers off the dribble. Very good court vision and raw passing ability; since Bagley has arrived Cade has thrown quite a few lobs that caught me off guard with the degree of difficulty/low margin for error. Height allows him to see over the defense and throw cross court passes when he gets into the paint. Athletically, Cade is only average, but average is plenty good enough in conjunction with his skillset. I'm shocked at how easily he seems to get to the rim/find open spaces in the midrange area, and when he's got a bit of spaces he can definitely finish above the rim.

Needs to work on limiting turnovers and getting to the line more (some of this is just the refs not giving him calls), along with upping his scoring efficiency as he's done as the season has progressed. But I genuinely think he is talented enough to be MVP conversations a few years down the line.

[GreatWhiteStiff]

Turnovers and Missed shots DO NOT MATTER! Cade Cunningham is the ROY and an ABSOLUTE BEAST!! BEAST MODE ACTIVATED!!!

[AussieCeltic]

Essentially 23/6/7 in the month of March beating the Raptors, Sixers and Hawks twice and they were competitive in pretty much every game.

I’m a fan. Get Jabari Smith and this team is starting to take shape.

[tmorgan]

Can’t say I like these two poll options. I think he’ll end up better than a top 30 player in the league (borderline/infrequent all-star), but the first option makes him sound like a top 10 all-time player, which is obviously a stretch for projecting anyone.

What all the established players comment on after Pistons games is the way Cade controls pace. If you haven’t seen him play, it’s a bit hard to understand. He’s not super quick or super fast, his hops are decent but not great, and he’s likely going to be strong for a ball handler but isn’t all the way there yet as he’s 20. But the way he moves, man, it’s crazy. Crosses, side steps, pivots, step throughs, reverses, it’s all there already. He has a bigger bag than 90% of guards already, and he’s 6’6” with a pretty quick release.

His shot has only been falling with consistency lately, but he was getting these NBA fraternity compliments before he was hitting, because players know how special he’ll become. Dude just feels space, moves how he wants, and creates shots.

He’s also a good, albeit not great, passer, and sees plays a step ahead. Still has a lot of sloppy turnovers, though. I think he’ll be a plus defender once he learns more tendencies and gets stronger, too.

Option one is too much for any rookie, but option two isn’t enough either. All-Star for a long time, probably starting next year. Top 10 player in the league. Depending on his eventual teammates and final primary role, either 20/6/8 or 25/6/5 kind of numbers (pts/reb/ast). Really.

[Pachinko_]

I havent watched a single Pistons game this year, I'll watch this one Vs Sixers now and let you know what I think

He looks extremely polished for his age
I think he will always battle with the fact that he's not an explosive athlete and he's probably not a top shooter, but it's really up to him to improve. It's all about how much he wants it now, but damn he starts from a high floor.

[BK_2020]

Should've drafted Mobley.

[The Moose]

As a bettor, it seems like since the all star break the Pistons have constantly had close games or stolen games they were massive underdogs in. Cade is a big part of them hanging in tough with almost everyone, even if they come up short.

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[Message Boar]

Yeah he's gonna be a beast. Now I'm even more sad that we didn't win the lottery last year

[Duffman100]

Really like what the Pistons are building there. They have the right coach in place to start building the culture and get them to be a perennial playoff / +.500 team.

[The Moose]

https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/nba-rookies-that-averaged-at-least-20-ppg-5-rpg-and-5-apg-after-the-all-star-break

[Mr Puddles]

I havent watched a single Pistons game this year, I'll watch this one Vs Sixers now and let you know what I think

Man, the suspense is killing me... Let me just circle my calendar so I can make sure to follow up with you right after the game has finished to get your thoughts.

[ropjhk]

I think he's going to win ROY. He's made up ground from his slow start of the season and is making an end of season push to the top spot. Cade, Barnes and Mobley will help make the East the dominant conference this decade.

[Godymas]

he's the most exciting prospect since Luka but in some ways he's more exciting because he's in Detroit.

Would take him over Ja and Zion 100%

Probably take him over LaMelo

Ant just offers a different kind of aspect to a team so it's hard to say if it's worth taking Cade over him but Cade being picked over Ant would not be terrible

He just moves different out there, even when he was bricking at the start of the year you could see how different he really was in terms of insane IQ and shiftiness.