After drafting Cade Cunningham with the number one pick, the Detroit Pistons are finally getting some attention from national media outlets, including ESPN.
Their panel of experts (in some cases this term is being used very generously) made predictions about the upcoming season about everything from MVP to who will win Rookie of the Year.
Sports books give Cade Cunningham the best odds to win the award, but the experts at ESPN disagreed, making Jalen Green their favorite by a wide margin.
This is not surprising, as it has become the trendy move to go against the grain and pick the outspoken Green over Cunningham, who has mostly just kept his mouth shut and gone about his business this offseason.
Green has had plenty to say about Detroit and has even riled a few legends from other sports, who weren’t happy about Green’s disrespect.
This should lead to a fun rivalry between the Detroit Pistons and Houston Rockets, with Green and Cunningham at the center of it as they battle it out for Rookie of the Year with their fellow draft picks.
I think both are fantastic players who have a shot at the award but in the end, Cunningham has some distinct advantages. Here is why ESPN is wrong.
The Detroit Pistons will be better than the Houston Rockets
The Pistons and Rockets were the two worst teams in the NBA last season, with the Pistons winning just 20 games and the Rockets notching 17 victories.
Both should be improved, largely because of the draft, but the Pistons were already a better team and have added pieces that will help them take the next logical step on their timeline.
With Cunningham and Kelly Olynyk on board to go with All-Rookies Saddiq Bey and Isaiah Stewart, not to mention potential All-Star Jerami Grant, the Pistons are in a better position to win next season than the Rockets, who are super talented but even younger than the Pistons.
They are also dealing with John Wall’s trade requests, so could be adding a bunch of new players, who will take some time to adjust. The Detroit Pistons are mostly bringing back the same group that was very competitive last season even though they didn’t win a lot.
With more continuity and chemistry, the Pistons are in a position to make a run at the play-in tournament in the Eastern Conference, and if they are being led by Cade Cunningham, he will be rewarded with the Rookie of the Year award.
Detroit Pistons: Cade Cunningham is the man in the Motor City
Another reason I feel Cade Cunningham will win Rookie of the Year is that he will be handed the keys to the team right away.
Cunningham will be running the show in Detroit, have the ball in his hands a ton, and will have the chance to rack up some huge stats.
Green is a gifted scorer and could very well score more points per game than Cunningham (though that is far from a given) but Cunningham is going to have more assists, rebounds and will be the focal point of the Pistons’ offense.
Green will be sharing the ball with other gifted scorers like Kevin Porter Jr. and John Wall (if they fail to trade him) and even Christian Wood.
Porter Jr. went off for 50 points last season and figures to have an even bigger role for the Rockets next season, which will cut into Green’s usage and shots.
Cunningham doesn’t have as much competition on his own team, as most of the Detroit Pistons are role players on offense and not guys who will have the ball in their hands a ton.
Cade is going to be making more plays, logging more assists and will use his size to grab boards, and much like LaMelo Ball last season he’ll be rewarded for his superior all-around game that isn’t only about scoring.
Cade Cunningham will lead the Detroit Pistons to a superior team defense
Both Cunningham and Green have the chance to be great defenders in the NBA.
Cunningham can guard the entire perimeter and even switch onto power forwards, while Green has great hands, quick feet and should get plenty of blocks and steals for a guard.
But the Detroit Pistons were actually good defensively last season, finishing 10th overall in points allowed, something they will build upon with Cade Cunningham.
Houston was 27th in team defense last season and haven’t done much to improve, while the Pistons could end up cracking the top-8 this season if things go right.
This will not only win Detroit more games and give them a chance at the playoffs, but will get some national attention, as the Pistons are going to be locking some teams down with guys like Cunningham, Killian Hayes, Jerami Grant, Saddiq Bey, Josh Jackson and Hamidou Diallo roaming the perimeter.
Cunningham is going to get some of the credit for this defensive improvement, which will be another box ticked for his Rookie of the Year campaign.
This one could go either way (or to some player we’ve not even mentioned) but I think this award will go to Cade Cunningham when Detroit wins more games behind a very good defense.