Pistons: Why Cade Cunningham’s Rookie of the Year odds are enticing
Detroit Pistons: Cade Cunningham will be helped by being the #1 pick
The number one pick in the NBA certainly doesn’t win Rookie of the Year every season, but that slot has won it more times than any other by far.
Going back to 1979 (the year Magic Johnson and Larry Bird entered the league), the number one pick has won Rookie of the Year 17 times, including five seasons in a row at one point.
Even though the number one pick has a target on his back all season, he also has a lot of cameras pointed at him and will get more attention than any other choice one way or another.
light. Related Story. Cade Cunningham's rank among the last decade of #1 picks
This is especially true for Cade Cunningham, who is going to immediately have a huge role for the Detroit Pistons, be their leader on the floor and fill up up the stat sheet.
I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Jalen Green ends up scoring more points than Cunningham (though that is certainly not a given, as Cunningham is an elite scorer himself) but I think Cade will fill the stat sheet with assists, rebounds, blocks and steals as well.
He is going to be featured nightly on ESPN, get plenty of chances to score and distribute, so the award is really his to lose right now.
But there is another reason I think Cade Cunningham is a value bet for Rookie of the Year.