The Detroit Pistons have not had much team success over the last two seasons, winning just 40 games combined, but fans have reason to be excited about the backcourt of Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey.
Both had similar rookie seasons, as Cade was immediately made the lead ball handler and focal point of the offense in his rookie season and Ivey had to take on the same burden after Cunningham went down just 12 games into this one.
Rookie point guards make mistakes, turn the ball over too much, take bad shots and often make the wrong reads, but both Cade and Ivey improved in those areas as their respective rookie seasons progressed.
If you asked which one had the better rookie season, the immediate reaction is Cade of course, but when you look at the numbers, Ivey is closer than you might think.
Cade Cunningham vs. Jaden Ivey: Who had the better rookie season for the Detroit Pistons?
Both players joined incoherent rosters that were not necessarily built to win. The team is rebuilding and attempting to acquire assets, so some of Troy Weaver’s roster construction hasn’t made a lot of sense.
Cunningham and Ivey lacked shooting and talent around them, but both made the best of less than ideal situations. Their lack of team success hurt their chances for Rookie of the Year, but unless something unexpected happens, they will both end up on All-Rookie teams.
Cade Cunningham averaged 17.4 points, 5.6 assists and 5.5 rebounds while shooting 41.6 percent from the field and 31.4 percent from 3-point range on 5.7 attempts per game. He nabbed 1.2 steals and committed 3.7 turnovers per game in his rookie season.
Ivey’s numbers were very similar, as he averaged 16.3 points, 5.2 assists and 3.9 rebounds while shooting an identical 41.6 percent from the floor and slightly better from 3-point range at 34.3 percent on 4.7 attempts per game. Ivey got just .8 steals per game, but was actually better taking care of the ball with just 3.2 turnovers per game, though Cade had a higher usage rate.
The team won six more games with Cade Cunningham at the helm, so there’s that, but you could argue that Ivey was saddled with a worse roster. Ivey also played 10 more games than Cade did in his rookie season, so he was on the court more often.
While their stats are similar, Cunningham does more to affect games, especially at the defensive end, where he is a plus and Ivey still has a lot of work to do.
But both emerged as leaders who showed they aren’t afraid to take the big shot or take over games at times. Cunningham gets the nod as far as rookie seasons go, but Ivey isn’t far behind and the Detroit Pistons have an exciting backcourt to build around.
The only bad thing is that we’ll have to wait another six months to see them play together.