In Thursday night’s 109-98 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, Detroit Pistons rookie Cade Cunningham produced his first double-double. Cunningham finished the game with 18 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists.
Cunningham did struggle shooting; he shot 4-17 from the field and 1-7 from three-point land. However, Cunningham did manage to stay aggressive and get to the free-throw line. In addition, the rookie shot 9-10 from the charity stripe.
So far this season, Cunningham has shot 7-39 (17.9%) from the field and 1-21 (4.8) from beyond the arc – not good numbers at all. In three games. Cunningham is averaging 8.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game.
Even though his shot is not dropping, Pistons head coach Dwayne Casey is sure his shot will start to fall. “It’s only a matter of time before he gets his rhythm with his 3-point shot,” Casey said. “I’m not concerned about that. The other part, the defense, the making sure he makes the right reads and passes when he has the ball is the most important thing.”
Cunningham is missing a lot of shots, but he must remain aggressive. Once he gets his rhythm, the shots will start to fall. He has to stay confident in his abilities. In Summer League, Cunningham also had a solid summer league, averaging 18.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.7 steals, and 1.3 blocks on 50 percent 3-point shooting. The ankle injury set him back. Now he has to play his way into shape. His shooting numbers should go up once that happens.
Lamarr Fields is a Contributor for Unwrapped Sports Network. Follow him on on Twitter @raiderway83