Cade Cunningham has been on a tear for the Detroit Pistons of late, putting up numbers that put him among the elite of the NBA.
Cade only came in 3rd in the Rookie of the Year voting last season, as voters rewarded Evan Mobley and winner Scottie Barnes for their exceptional play and for being on teams that actually won and made the playoffs.
But many agreed that Cade Cunningham had the brightest future, as he started to put it together last last season and was carrying a much heavier burden than any other rookie on both ends.
Cade is proving that now, as he is putting up All-Star numbers and showing that the Rookie of the Year voters probably got it wrong. Here is how he stacks up against his sophomore peers.
Detroit Pistons: Cade Cunningham vs. 2nd-year players
Early last season some were questioning whether the Detroit Pistons made the right choice when they took Cade Cunningham with the overall number one pick.
No one is asking that now, as Cade is setting himself apart from his sophomore peers, even though the Detroit Pistons still aren’t winning many games.
Cade is currently averaging 23.1 points 6.1 rebounds and 6.8 assists for the Pistons after having another outstanding game last night in the close loss to Milwaukee. Here is where the other top sophomores are at this point in the season:
- Scottie Barnes: 15.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.3 assists
- Evan Mobley: 15.8 points, 6 rebounds, 2.2 assists
- Jalen Green: 19 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists
- Franz Wagner: 15.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4 assists
As you can see, Cade leads his peers in every category, as the top scorer, rebounder and assist man from his class. Yes, he has the highest usage rate (30.5%) and plays for a team that has only won two games, but he is dominating his peers.
Cade Cunningham may be on his way to his first All-Star appearance in year two and is establishing himself as one of the best all-around players in the league. To be fair, both Barnes and Mobley are on better teams, but Cade looks like the guy you’d want to build your franchise around, while they look like very good players on good teams.
I don’t think there are many people questioning Detroit’s choice now, as Cade looks to be the best player in his class and it’s not really close.