After being selected No. 1 overall in the 2021 NBA Draft, Cade Cunningham hasn't sat around waiting for the season to start for the Detroit Pistons. Instead, he's gone the route of the gym rat, putting in all sorts of time to fine-tune his game.
Per James Edwards III of The Athletic, the Pistons star rookie and his trainers (brother Cannen Cunningham and cousin Ashton Bennings) worked on four big things this summer.
There were four objectives Cannen Cunningham and Bennings, an NBA development trainer, wanted to accomplish this offseason with the soon-to-be top draft pick. The most important was getting Cade Cunningham adjusted to the NBA 3-point line. Another was to improve his flexibility. Increasing Cade’s footspeed was high on the list, as well. Lastly, they were intent on refining and bolstering his ballhandling.
The Pistons are hoping Cunningham becomes the franchise pillar for years to come and he certainly has the skillset to become a superstar in the NBA. One knock against Cunningham's skillset from some has been his so-called lack of athleticism. To counter that, Cunningham's brother and Bennings had him take up yoga this summer.
“Yoga was a big deal,” Bennings said. “We really wanted him to focus on his flexibility this summer. Also, he’s so young, so he may still be growing. We wanted to stretch that out.”
Additionally, the benefits of mental health associated with the practice intrigued everyone, particularly with the high expectations that come with being the No. 1 pick.
One thing is for certain and that is that Cunningham is well prepped for his rookie season as he will look to dominate for the Pistons and take the league by storm.
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