Cade Cunningham struggled scoring the ball in his season opener against the Bulls, and now has an even tougher opponent in the Houston Rockets. The Rockets are coming off a double-overtime loss to the Thunder, in which they did a good job slowing down reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The Rockets showed they have the perfect formula for slowing down big guards, and Cade has his hands full trying to solve it.
The Rockets are an elite defensive team
Although SGA finished with 35 points against the Rockets, he was definitely limited compared to his usual output. In fact, he only had 23 points at the end of regulation and shot 12-of-26 overall from the field and 1-of-9 from three. Shai's game is very similar to Cade's in many ways, especially their preference for three-level scoring rather than sticking to the threes-and-layups formula that has become popular in the modern NBA.
Even with all of Shai's tough shot-making, he still had his struggles against Houston. He was hounded throughout the game by Amen Thompson, an All-Defensive First Team selection last season. Thompson also had an incredibly huge lineup backing him defensively, which made it even harder for Shai to find any space to get his shot off.
Cade could find it even harder to score against the Rockets defense. The Rockets are huge at every position and able to pressure primary ball handlers with the best of them, but at least the Thunder had some good shooters to keep help defenders at bay. Shai was helped by Chet Holmgren scoring 28 points and Cason Wallace shooting 3-of-8 from deep.
But the Pistons lack significant shooting threats on their roster. The Rockets will be more bold in providing help against Cade if his teammates don't prove that they can hit outside shots consistently. Cade's offseason improvements in handling defensive pressure will be put to the test right away.
Of course, SGA is also just a better scorer than Cade. He finished at higher rates from just about every part of the court than Cade last season, and has a shiftiness to his drives that Cade simply can't replicate. Even against a top defense, SGA can slither his way into open shots or draw fouls; Cade often has to settle for tough contested looks in the same situations.
But Cade has a chance to prove himself in a big way with this early-season test. He's got big goals for himself and the Pistons this season, which won't be possible without sustained greatness on his end. It won't be an easy task creating efficient offense for himself and his teammates against a lineup of 7-footers while a defensive specimen guards him, but it's what Cade needs to do as the Pistons' superstar.