Cade Cunningham climbing Pistons’ all-time Rookie list

Cade Cunningham on the Pistons’ all-time rookie list

Cunningham is not there yet: Isiah Thomas, Kelly Tripucka, Dave Bing, Grant Hill

Both Isiah Thomas and Kelly Tripucka joined a terrible Pistons team in the same year and both not only made All-Rookie but the All-Star team as well.

Thomas averaged 17 points and 7.8 assists, providing the kind of spark to a franchise that fans are hoping Cade is going to replicate. Tripucka averaged 21.6 points, 3.1 and 5.4 rebounds to have an even better rookie season than Isiah.

Dave Bing is one of the best Pistons’ comparisons for Cade Cunningham, as he had a great all-around rookie season, putting up numbers of 20 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists on his way to Rookie of the Year.

Same with Grant Hill, whose stat line of 19.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 5 assists, 1.8 steals and a block per game earned him a share of the Rookie of the Year award and landed him on the All-Star team, the last Pistons’ rookie to make it. He also led the NBA in All-Star votes that season.

The common factor was that these guys were all older than Cade Cunningham and came into the NBA with a lot more experience, but I still can’t put Cade ahead of them, at least not yet.

There is a lot of season left, so Cunningham has a chance to climb even higher if he continues playing consistently, but to already be in the discussion for the top-5 after just over a half a season is pretty impressive.