Cade Cunningham has gotten off to a rough start shooting the ball for the Detroit Pistons, but head coach Dwane Casey is far from worried.
Cunningham hasn’t shot the ball well and that is putting it mildly, but there was a noticeable difference in the team when he was on the floor and he looks ready to break through any time.
The good news is that he (and the rest of the team) are getting good looks, they just aren’t knocking them down. In fact, the Detroit Pistons are getting a lot of wide-open shots but their numbers on these attempts will blow your mind.
Some fans (who are apparently enjoying their first NBA season) are ready to declare Cunningham a bust, when the truth is that he hasn’t been much worse than some of the other top picks, and that’s with him coming off an injury.
Dwane Casey is not ready to make excuses for his young point guard, but he did want to remind fans just what he has been up against so far in the early season.
Detroit Pistons: Dwane Casey defends Cade Cunningham with a reminder of the situation
Coach Casey is a player’s coach who always sticks up for his guys, so he felt the need to step in and deflect some of the early criticism of Cade Cunningham by reminding fans and media what he’s been up against:
#Pistons Dwane Casey on Cade Cunningham: "He's just a pup right now learning the league. I'm not making excuses for him, but if you miss a month of training camp and try to perform, it's difficult.
— Rod Beard (@detnewsRodBeard) November 8, 2021
"This is nowhere near where he can be -- and will be -- as a player."
Casey gently reminded fans that Cade has been out with an injury, missed most of training camp and is just getting his legs under him after suffering an early ankle sprain. These are not excuses, they are just facts.
Cunningham has been short on a lot of his shots, likely the result of still getting into game shape, which you would expect after missing several weeks and being unable to run with the team.
The Detroit Pistons are currently on a mini-vacation with a four game break between games, so hopefully Cade Cunningham has had time to get some additional reps with his teammates and get his legs and fitness back to 100 percent.
The Pistons are entering a six-game stretch where they are playing against other top picks from the 2021 NBA Draft and it would be great to see Cade Cunningham have a few breakout games to remind people why he was chosen number one overall.
Dwane Casey has his back, and Cunningham will be eager to get back out there Wednesday against Jalen Green to prove all of the haters wrong.