Hi, logical NBA fan here. I’d like to have a word with the “fans” of the Detroit Pistons who are ready to call Cade Cunningham a bust after two games.
Please go away.
I understand that social media (specifically Twitter) rewards “hot-takes” and the dumber they are, the bigger the reward, so I don’t blame the usual NBA grifters (we know who they are) for trying to draw traffic by making over-the-top claims. Grifters are gonna grift.
But I am seeing this rhetoric from people who call themselves Pistons’ fans, who are literally panicking after TWO GAMES.
Was Cade Cunningham good in his first two games? Nope. Does it matter? Nope.
He is coming off a fairly serious ankle injury, is clearly not 100 percent yet and is playing with teammates who can’t make a shot.
His shot will come around as he gets full healthy and adjusted to game speed, but his assist numbers would already be decent if his teammates could just make a wide-open shot, which they currently can’t.
Cade Cunningham has averaged 7.5 potential assists in his two games, and if some of those go in, his numbers don’t look that bad. There’s also a LONG history of the NBA to fall back on for evidence that TWO GAMES do not make a career.
Detroit Pistons: Two games do not make Cade Cunningham a bust
Here is a good thread of players who underperformed in their first two games in the NBA. A couple of standouts you might have heard of:
- Kobe Bryant
- Tracy McGrady
- Giannis Antetokounmpo
- Joe Dumars
- Richard Hamilton
- Kawhi Leonard
The list goes on and on, as every rookie goes through struggles when making the adjustment to the NBA.
I get that fans are disappointed with the start, as I am too, but did you really expect Cade Cunningham, coming off an injury and basically not practicing for weeks, to come in and immediately start dominating? This isn’t a video game.
I absolutely wrecked my ankle last year and could barely WALK for months. Granted, I am far from a professional athlete (closer to a professional eater) but over a year later and my ankle is still not right, so can we give this kid a few games to get healthy before we start calling him a bust? These injuries take time, especially when it comes to regaining confidence in your jumping and cuts.
I get that this rhetoric is the product of the never-ending news cycle and people who have way too much time to spend on social media, but it is the height of absurdity.
Cade Cunningham is going to have some big games soon and all of this talk will go away, but until then, relax and go outside.