Cade Cunningham put up his second straight triple double last night as the Detroit Pistons eviscerated the Hornets and put an end to the Cade vs. LaMelo Ball debate.
I’m not sure why these two careers have been connected, as Ball was drafted a year earlier, but for some reason, he and Cade have always been compared and in the past, the debate was a lot closer.
LaMelo Ball was Rookie of the Year, while Cade came up just short, and Ball made an All-Star appearance before Cunningham did. He’s also winning the head-to-head battle as he has beaten Cade four out of seven times even after last night’s blowout.
But that’s where the debate ends these days, as Cunningham is clearly the superior player on both ends and is showing that you don’t have to be ridiculously flashy to be effective.
Cade Cunningham is steady and plays defense
I should first say that I like LaMelo and think he’s a fun player to watch, so I’m not some curmudgeon that hates his particular style of flashy basketball. When he’s going well and running up and down the court shooting off balance threes and throwing acrobatic alley oops, it can be fun to watch.
But when it’s not going well, which it hasn’t for most of his career, it just looks like sloppy basketball that is out of touch with the reality of the situation.
Ball is the opposite of Cade Cunningham, the “Smooth Operator,” who is fairly quiet and unassuming in comparison. He may not have Ball’s flash, but he’s far more effective, with better numbers in everything on the offensive end.
Cade is also a two-way star who can play defense, something LaMelo has never done, and is currently leading the first-place Pistons towards their second straight appearance in the playoffs with another All-NBA selection on the horizon.
So, this isn’t just a matter of style, Cunningham is simply better and always has been, we just didn’t notice because both players were on awful teams and LaMelo was probably more fun to watch early in his career.
But that energy is wearing thin in Charlotte, where there has already been talk of the Hornets trading LaMelo and rebooting around their other young players, as people are questioning whether he’s a serious player you can build a sustainably good team around.
No one is asking these questions about Cade Cunningham, who is clearly the bedrock of what the Pistons are building. No one is questioning his leadership or commitment or whether his style of play is conducive to winning.
Cunningham still needs to win a few more games over LaMelo to take over the win/loss column, but the debate about them as individual players is over and is decisively in the favor of Cade.