Detroit Pistons: What to expect from Cade Cunningham early this season
The Detroit Pistons are being cautious with rookie Cade Cunningham after he tweaked an ankle in training camp.
The team has yet to announce if he will play in the second preseason game vs. Memphis, but don’t be too angry if he doesn’t.
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The Pistons want the number one pick to be at full strength when the games are real, and there have been some positive signs that he will return soon.
Point guard is the toughest position to learn in the NBA, so there will be some ups and downs for Cunningham this season, especially early on.
Here is what we can expect from Cunningham in the beginning of the season as he gets comfortable with his new teammates.
Detroit Pistons: Expect Cade Cunningham to have the ball at the end of the shot clock
One of the Pistons’ biggest weaknesses last season was that they didn’t have a guy who could consistently get his own shot late in the shot clock or at the ends of games.
Jerami Grant assumed this role most of the time, but he is not really a number one scoring option, so I expect that job to shift to Cunningham, even early in the season.
He can create his own shot from all three levels and will also create space for his teammates, so expect Cunningham, not Killian Hayes or Jerami Grant, to be the guy who has the ball in his hands in the half court as the shot clock winds down.
This should be an area where the Detroit Pistons are greatly improved from last season, as Cunningham is a dynamic one-on-one creator.