Detroit Pistons: Cade Cunningham makes debut on KIA Rookie Ladder

Cade Cunningham of the Detroit Pistons got off to a rough start to his first NBA season.

He had some historic shooting troubles through the first three games, which led the Uber-impatient megatrolls on Twitter to call him a bust, which was completely ridiculous.

Since then, Cade Cunningham has been making history for the right reasons, including in the last game against the Kings, when he put up 25 points, eight rebounds and eight assists while knocking down at least five 3-point shots, the youngest player to ever achieve this feat.

After being overshadowed by rookies Evan Mobley and Scottie Barnes, Cunningham is finally getting some notice, as he has shot over 40 percent from long range since his cold 3-game start and is looking like a threat for a triple double on any given night.

Detroit Pistons: Cade Cunningham on the KIA Rookie Ladder

If you are not familiar, the KIA Rookie Ladder is ESPN’s weekly ranking of NBA rookies. Cade Cunningham had yet to make the list but finally debuted at #7 last week.

Evan Mobley is sitting atop the list, followed by Scottie Barnes, and those two will likely hold their spots after another strong week.

Jalen Green is just above Cade Cunningham at #6 but that is likely to change when the new rankings are released today.

It will be interesting to see how high Cunningham climbs after a strong week, and I predict he will end up in the top-5, putting Jalen Green in the rear view mirror for good.

Cunningham is at the end of a stretch where he took on some of the elite picks from the 2021 NBA Draft and so far he has defeated Green, lost to Mobley, beat Barnes and lost to Davion Mitchell.

Cunningham hopes to put the finishing touches on this streak tonight against fellow top rookie Chris Duarte and the Indiana Pacers.

Cade Cunningham has looked stronger and better in every game, as it clearly took him a few games to get his legs back after sitting for weeks with an ankle injury. Soon he will be on top of this list, hopefully to stay on his way to winning Rookie of the Year.