After a rather rough start to his pro career, Detroit Pistons rookie Cade Cunningham seems to have found his rhythm as he continues to show why he's the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.
Cunningham missed the first four games of the season due to a sprained ankle, and when he made his NBA debut, he had a rather pedestrian outing with just two points on 1-of-8 shooting. He missed the following game after that, though he has been on a tear ever since.,
While the Pistons lost during Friday's game against the New Orleans Pelicans, 109-93, Cunningham gave Detroit a reason to be optimistic about their future. He finished with 16 points, four assists and three steals, becoming just the fifth player in NBA history to record at least 305 points, 123 rebounds, 90 assists, 26 steals and 11 blocks in their first 20 games.
The other four players on the list? Well, it's just LeBron James, Larry Bird, Ben Simmons and Alvan Adams, per The Athletic.
The Pistons may be on a free-fall, dropping to 4-21 in the standings for the worst record in the league, but seeing the development from their young core is certainly what they want. After all, in a rebuilding campaign where they are expected to struggle, all they could hope for is plant the seeds of hope for the future.
Sure enough, they are doing just that with Cade Cunningham leading the way. If you're mentioned in the same breath as LeBron and Bird, you are definitely doing something right.
Hopefully, though, the individual accomplishments of Cade could soon result to victories for the Motor City franchise.