Detroit Pistons: 3 keys to Cade Cunningham winning Rookie of the Year
Detroit Pistons: Health will play a crucial role in Cade Cunningham’s Rookie of the Year bid
Nothing can derail a Rookie of the Year campaign quite like an injury.
In the 2019-20 season, Zion Williamson was a statistical marvel for a rookie. The Duke product scored 22.5 points per game, collected 6.3 rebounds per game, and even managed to dish out 2.1 assists per game.
Despite great stats, Williamson’s case for Rookie of the Year never got off the ground as the power forward only managed to play in 24 games in his first season.
Similarly, Joel Embiid would also fall short of a rookie of the year win despite great stats. The 76ers big man only played in 31 games in his first season of actual play in the league.
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For Cunningham to win the Rookie of the Year award, he will need to have a relatively healthy season. He will not have to play in every game, but the 19-year-old will have to play in well over half of the 82 game season.
LaMelo Ball was able to win the Rookie of the Year award last season despite missing 21 games in the 2020-21 season. Realistically, Cunningham should miss no more than 20 games, especially since he is part of a much deeper rookie class than Ball was part of.
This is where fortune and luck come into play. Health is not something that can be easily controlled. All it takes is landing the wrong way after a jump or even a simple misstep in transition to fall victim to the injury bug.
If Cunningham is to have any chance at the Rookie of the Year award, he will need fortune on his side for good health in the 2021-22 season.
If he can manage that, next Cunningham will have to avoid hitting the rookie wall.