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We finally got to see Cade Cunningham in a # 2 Detroit Pistons jersey. With this comes the opportunity to analyze his game on NBA soil against an NBA competition. I want to stress that this is just a breakdown of what I saw in this game and not an overreaction one way or the other.
I’m not saying this because I saw something that I consider “negative” and I think he was the wrong choice or that he will have a horrible rookie season. I’m not saying this either because I saw something that impressed me as a sure sign that he will go to the Hall of Fame. We are one game away from his professional career. … BUT I wanted to take a look at a few things we saw from this game.
In general, I thought Cade Cunningham was ‘as advertised’, although he didn’t shoot the ball particularly well after a hot start. There are three areas of his score that have marked me in this game in one way or another. His 3 point shot, which as I mentioned started hot and then cooled down considerably. His post-up match, which we haven’t had full experience of due to fouls or the inability to get him the ball, but it’s something that I think we’re going to see a lot during his recruit year. Finally, his game to the edge and, in particular, how he handled contact play.
*** I apologize for the “grainy” video footage. I’m in Vegas and can’t make them like I normally do ***
Cade notation
Continuing on the offensive side of the ball, we got our first glimpse of Cade using ball screens. Granted, he wasn’t working with guys that we’ll most likely see over the course of the season (Olynyk, Stewart, Grant) but it still gave us a sense of where he was at. He already had a mastery of “putting guys in jail” and I thought he had several strengths to play at a brisk pace. His assists numbers don’t highlight some of the assists he showed, BUT I think we may have seen him predetermine some decisions, as you can see in the breakdown.
Cade in the Pick and Roll
Finally, I wanted to take a look at the other side of the ball where Cade himself pointed out how important this end of the field is. Again, there were positives and negatives, but being lucky enough to be present what stood out to me the most was how vocal he was. We have already seen several examples since the draft of his “leadership”, and I thought it was something that was displayed Monday night on the defensive.
Cade on defense
The excitement for Cade Cunningham on Pistons Twitter and in the Thomas and Mack Arena was incredible and contagious and nothing that happened in this game should deter anyone from the excitement. Even with poor shooting performance, in what I thought looked like tired legs in the second half, you saw a lot of aspects of his game that made him the # 1 pick. Room for improvement? Sure. My best guess? We’ll see him make them and be even better against Houston in a highly anticipated clash against No.2 pick Jalen Green.
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