Detroit Pistons rising star Cade Cunningham had one hell of a rookie season. While things started off slow for him, he proved everyone else why he was selected no. 1 overall in the 2021 NBA Draft. However, he also had one rather harsh realization about the NBA one year into his professional basketball career.
As he has seen with his own eyes, nobody in the NBA will care about him or anyone else until they start winning. While the league is a star-driven league, it still puts a high value on winning–which is, of course, the ultimate goal for any team.
“I think the biggest thing I learned is that the League, the media, nobody will care until you’re winning,” the Pistons guard said in an interview with SLAM.
“I could feel bad for myself all I want about [how] people didn’t respect or appreciate the season I had, or anything, but I didn’t win a lot of games. So, I think that’s been the biggest thing that I’ve locked in on and I decided within. I have to win games if I want people to respect my name, and if not, then I can’t be mad at people not watching enough games and how I really play. That’s the challenge that I’ve tried to take on. I’ve talked to teammates [and] we’re all trying to take that challenge on. I think that’s the next step for us.”
Perhaps Cade Cunningham is talking about his Rookie of the Year loss? Or perhaps just the general lack of attention he got during the 2021-22 season? Who knows, but the Pistons youngster definitely has a point with his statement.
Unfortunately for him, that's just how the NBA operates. There are a lot of good players in the league, but what truly separates the great ones from the good ones is their ability to win and get the job done at the highest level.
Cunningham, at just 20 years old, still has plenty of chances to make a name for himself. It is probably a good thing he learned about the reality of the NBA early, so he could use it as extra motivation. That's definitely news for the Pistons
Follow Us
Subscribe