Detroit Pistons: The good and bad of Cade Cunningham’s historic start

In the Detroit Pistons’ recent loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, rookie Cade Cunningham joined elite company with Grant Hill and Isiah Thomas as the only three Pistons to record a double-double in one of their first three career games.

It looks like Cade is starting to settle into his role as the driving force in the Pistons’ offense, which is refreshing to see. Detroit needs someone to take charge and be a leader because as of now no one has the reins.

Unfortunately, making history has gone both ways for Cade. While he is in elite company with Hill and Thomas, he also has found himself in a less than ideal conversation. Cunningham had the worst shooting percentage of any rookie who got to take 30 shots in their first handful of games.

He joins Shawn Bradley at the top of the list. Bradley would of course go on to average 45 percent shooting throughout his lengthy career, so getting off to a rough start is not indicative of any major issues to come.

Detroit Pistons: Cade Cunningham is under a microscope

I have always been a skeptic of Cade Cunningham, at times perhaps too much so. It is far too early to declare him a bust, and he has shown real flashes to remind fans why he was taken at the top of the draft.

The truth is you can’t expect a 20-year-old to take the league by storm and be the generational talent he was advertised as right away. That would be ludicrous to even think. But at the same time, I don’t think anyone expected his start to be this rough.

Fortunately, he is trending upward. After last night’s loss to the Nets, Cade’s shooting is up to 23 percent, taking him off the top of the list. Unfortunately, Jalen Suggs boosted his percentage in the Magic’s loss to San Antonio as well.

The reality is Cade Cunningham is not playing as a number one pick should, but that’s okay. He’s made only four appearances and is recovering from an injury, so there is naturally going to be a learning curve. On the other hand, he was touted as a generational talent, so he will be judged more harshly than other members of his draft class, and sooner rather than later he should start living up to the hype.