Jalen Rose has evolved into my favorite NBA analyst for a few reasons: He’s very knowledgeable and tells it like it is, and he is an unabashed fan of the Detroit Pistons and Cade Cunningham.
The Pistons don’t get a lot of national media love, which is why it is nice to see one of our own in the booth, a guy who makes it no secret that he reps his hometown team.
Fans are as excited as they’ve been in a long time after the Pistons drafted Cade Cunningham with the number one pick.
And none are more excited than Jalen Rose, who hasn’t seen hype like this since a former Pistons’ legend was drafted.
Jalen Rose is thrilled Detroit drafted Cade Cunningham No. 1 overall.
— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) August 24, 2021
"I haven't been this excited for a Pistons draft pick since Grant Hill — and he got picked before me," he said.@JalenRose | @CadeCunningham_ | @DetroitPistons pic.twitter.com/eAQrXEvrAw
Rose claimed:
"“I haven’t been this excited for a Pistons’ draft pick since Grant Hill…”"
Rose isn’t the only one, as fans see Cunningham as our chance to be a superstar, the first the Pistons have had since they drafted Grant Hill out of Duke.
Detroit Pistons: Cade Cunningham will be the first superstar in Detroit since Grant Hill
There have been a lot of player comparisons for Cade Cunningham and one that almost always comes up is Grant Hill.
This is high praise, as Hill was a perennial MVP candidate whose all-around game set the standard for two-way wings at the time.
Like Cunningham, Hill was a point guard in a forward’s body, a guy who could set up teammates or score from anywhere on the floor. When you factored in his rebounding and defense, he was one of the best all-around players of his generation, a guy who was a threat to drop a triple-double every time he stepped on the floor.
The two are also very mature for their age, born leaders who are ready to assume that role right away.
Although they do have some similarities, Cunningham is a much better long-range shooter and has more potential as a passer having played point guard his entire career, unlike Hill, who pioneered the point forward position only after arriving in the NBA.
The Pistons are coming off a 20-win season after a decade of mediocrity and are hoping Cunningham can save the whole city from its sports’ depression.
It’s finally a good time to be a Pistons fan again and Jalen Rose hasn’t seen hype like this since the Grant Hill days.