Cade Cunningham needs dramatic improvement in one area to be an All-Star

Cade Cunningham has flashed signs of superstar potential for the Detroit Pistons, but he’s not gotten there yet for myriad reasons. 

He’s missed too many games, as Cunningham has yet to play even 65 games in a season, something that has to change if he wants All-Star consideration. 

Cunningham has had a terrible cast of players around him, which makes him a difficult player to read at times, as the rosters he’s been saddled with have not played into his strengths. 

There’s been plenty of talk about the areas in which Cunningham needs work, and if you asked, most fans would say something about 3-point shooting or turnovers, but there is another area in which Cade must improve dramatically if he wants to be a top-15 player in the NBA. 

Cade Cunningham is terrible around the rim 

Cunningham has the size and strength to get to his spots on the floor and the patience to allow the play to develop. 

He lived in the lane at times last season for the Pistons, using his superior size to bully smaller defenders. 

Cunningham has no problem getting there, but once he does, he can’t finish. 

Cade ranked among the worst rim finishers in the NBA last season, hitting just 54 percent of his shots under five feet on just under six attempts per game. This graphic gives a visual representation of just how bad Cade was. 

As you would expect, the top players in terms of attempts and efficiency are bigs like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Zion Williamson, players who live and eat at the rim. Just for comparison, Giannis took 12.7 attempts per game from under five feet and hit 74.7 percent of them. 

No one expects Cade to score like Giannis or Zion around the rim, but he’s well behind the guys who hopes to be peers with soon. 

-Tyrese Maxey: 6.3 attempts, 60.9% 

-Anthony Edwards: 6 attempts, 64.7% 

-Jaylen Brown: 6.6 attempts, 65.8% 

-Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: 6.6 attempts, 66.5% 

Maxey is only 6-foot-2 and is somehow scoring at a higher rate around the rim than Cade Cunningham, with more attempts and nearly seven percentage points better in efficiency. 

Same with Edwards, Brown and SGA, who are all getting more attempts and knocking down more of them within five feet. 

Cunningham is leaving points on the board every game, and if he wants to get into the elite guard/wing category, this is the area he has to improve. 

And he should. 

The last few seasons, defenses have just collapsed whenever Cunningham got into the lane, as there were no shooters on the perimeter that could make them pay on kickouts.  

That should be different with Tobias Harris, Malik Beasley and Tim Hardaway Jr. getting minutes populated by Killian Hayes, Isaiah Livers and James Wiseman last season, three of the worst players in the league. 

Another offseason of training and weight work should help Cade put on some extra strength, which will also help. 

Cunningham has been great in the mid-range and fine as a 3-point shooter, but until he stops missing so many bunnies around the rim, he will never be an elite guard.