The NBA Rookie of the Year race is starting to heat up and Cade Cunningham is one of the frontrunners to take home the award.
Cunningham, who was this year’s number one pick, has been more consistent after a rough start and reminding people why he was the first choice.
In a recent interview with Bleacher Report, Cade Cunningham declared himself the league’s best rookie, which will certainly draw some debate from different corners of the Internet.
I love his confidence, and I don’t think he is being arrogant by saying this, as just about any of the top rookies would make their case and you want that kind of swagger from a guy who is going to be a future All-Star and hopefully lead your team to better times.
I wouldn’t have any problem with guys like Evan Mobley, Scottie Barnes or Franz Wagner saying the same thing about themselves, and in the end, if you aren’t confident in your abilities, you won’t last long in the NBA.
So what do the numbers tell us? Mostly that Cade Cunningham is right.
Cade Cunningham’s rookie statistics for the Detroit Pistons
Here is where Cade Cunningham currently stands in some key categories among rookies:
- Points per game: 1st
- Rebounds per game: 6th
- Assists per game: 2nd
- Total steals: 3rd
- Steals per game: 2nd
- Total blocks: 6th
- Total minutes played: 6th (he’s played fewer games than everyone ahead of him)
That is a strong resume for Rookie of the Year, though his shooting numbers and turnovers aren’t doing him any favors.
I am Homer #1 for the Pistons, so I am always going to back my guy, but I admit that other players have strong cases as well, depending on what you value.