The Pistons' season quickly ended. We could even say that it never really started, because after two victories in three matches, Cade Cunningham and his teammates then lost… 28 matches in a row! An NBA record. Then, after this long-awaited victory, they again had seven losses in a row.
So much so that, after 40 matches, they only had four successes on the clock. They were off to a historically mediocre start. The Michigan players saved the honor, but the franchise record (16-66) is unfortunately still possible…
Let go of everything before the holidays
Among the good news from this long and painful exercise, there is still the performance of Cade Cunningham. The first choice of the 2021 Draft has just had three games in a row with more than 30 points: 32 against Minnesota, 33 against Washington and 36 against Memphis.
With confidence, he allowed himself to take 33 shots in front of the Wizards. “I got a lot of shots that I wanted”, he explained after Detroit's victory. “If I get these shots, then I’ll take them. I don't let them pass. My game is good when I do that. »
He continued in this vein against the Grizzlies, with 36 points on 13/22 shooting and 8 assists. He scored a winning basket at the 24-second buzzer to equalize in money time before nevertheless missing the equalizing shot (with the board).
“He made the right choices,” says Monty Williams. “At the end of the game, I told him that he was going to help us win playoff games in these situations. He took that last shot, it didn't go in, but it's a good shot. »
A leader who now needs victories
For three matches, Cade Cunningham has averaged 33.7 points with 47% shooting success and 47% 3-point shooting. A way for him to end his season on a good note, since it is his best career exercise.
“He’s our leader. He shows it night after night and he progresses”judges his teammate Tosan Evbuomwan. “We have confidence in him and the shot he took at the end, we are 100% with him. He had a great match and it's not just that last shot that counts. »
While waiting to win playoff matches as Monty Williams hopes, the playmaker has at least reassured about his level of play. He still loses too many balls but he has the right attitude even though the season has been a long nightmare. His start to his career too, between injury last season and mediocre results for three years. In 138 matches played, Cade Cunningham has only won 32 times…
“He has the same mentality regardless of the consequences or the end result, and that’s what we want,” assures the Pistons coach. “Of course, we want him to take his shots, but it shows when a player wants this shot, and he wants these shots. We all want to win, but I'm also looking for a player who can take those shots. He is of this type and that is why he is so valuable to us. »
| Cade Cunningham | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2021-22 | DET | 64 | 33 | 41.6 | 31.4 | 84.5 | 0.9 | 4.6 | 5.5 | 5.6 | 3.1 | 1.2 | 3.7 | 0.7 | 17.4 |
| 2022-23 | DET | 12 | 33 | 41.5 | 27.9 | 83.7 | 1.0 | 5.2 | 6.2 | 6.0 | 2.8 | 0.8 | 3.3 | 0.6 | 19.9 |
| 2023-24 | DET | 61 | 33 | 44.6 | 35.0 | 86.8 | 0.5 | 3.8 | 4.3 | 7.5 | 2.5 | 0.9 | 3.4 | 0.3 | 22.4 |
| Total | 137 | 33 | 43.0 | 32.7 | 85.7 | 0.7 | 4.3 | 5.1 | 6.5 | 2.8 | 1.0 | 3.5 | 0.5 | 19.9 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
