Cade Cunningham was the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NBA draft, selected by the Detroit Pistons. He was highly lauded as a prospect in college, averaging 20.1 PPG with Oklahoma state, while flashing a lot of potential as a playmaker. Most people had him as the consensus No. 1 pick over Jalen Green and Evan Mobley.
The No. 1 pick made his debut with the Detroit Pistons today. While Cade Cunningham and the Detroit Pistons did end up getting the win, Cunningham was on a minutes restriction and was clearly not at his best. He shot only 12.5% from the field, which is the worst field goal percentage since Anthony Bennett’s debut.
Cade Cunningham shot 1-for-8 from the field in his NBA debut (12.5%).
That is the 2nd-worst field goal percentage by a No. 1 overall pick in his NBA debut in the Modern Draft Era (min. 5 FGA).
Anthony Bennett shot 0-5 in his debut. pic.twitter.com/awtYCinT0b
— ESPN Insights (@ESPNInsights) October 31, 2021
Anthony Bennett is widely known as a draft bust, but one game doesn’t mean that Cade Cunningham will end up the same way. Cade Cunningham was out injured prior to today. It makes sense that he’ll have to acclimate to the league, especially after coming off an injury.
It is almost certain that he’ll have some good performances later on in the season, and Cunningham has simply too much talent and skill to continue performing as he did in his debut. He did end up having 7 rebounds in the game as well as showing some flashes on the defensive end, so there’s clearly something positive that came out of the game.
Cade Cunningham has previously stated his desire to be the best all-time at his position, and he’ll have ample opportunity to do that in the upcoming years. He’ll get the keys to the franchise from the Detroit Pistons, and he’s surrounded by some solid vets like Jerami Grant and Kelly Olynyk to get him on the right path to success. Hopefully, we see Cunningham develop into that superstar that many expect, and he certainly has the ability to be one of the best in due time.
