Cade Cunningham is one of the best rookies this season, which is to be expected, as he was the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. Cade Cunningham has quickly adapted to the NBA, and he is obviously the face of the Detroit Pistons. Currently, Cade Cunningham is averaging 17.2 PPG, 5.7 RPG, and 5.6 APG.
One award that a lot of rookies generally seek to win is the Rookie of the Year award. Most people generally believe that this year the Rookie of the Year will be Evan Mobley. Rajon Rondo even called Mobley the most talented rookie that he’s played with.
Even though Evan Mobley is a fantastic player with a bright future, there’s no doubt that Cade Cunningham is also a really good player. Recently, Cunningham has claimed that he should win the Rookie of the Year award, claiming that it’s “a misinterpretation” that he’s not the Rookie of the Year. Michael Pina of Sports Illustrated relayed the news.
When asked about the Rookie of the Year race, Cunningham downplays its gravity and heaps praise on the competition for how incredible they’ve looked since Day 1. He knows a trophy won’t make or break what he thinks about himself. For someone so goal oriented, who grasps the bigger picture, there are far more important things to worry about, such as what he wants to accomplish next season. “First, I want to be a playoff team, for sure,” Cunningham says. “I’d love to be an All-Star next year. I’d love to see somebody else from my team get in that conversation.”
“The NBA has a lot of fans, and there’s a ton of opinions out there. And so I kind of loosely know what’s being said about me, but more than anything I pay attention to my game and how I’m playing, how other people are playing, and I just use my own basketball knowledge to interpret what’s going on. I don’t really look into the opinions too much.
“But …” Cunningham looks off to the side and licks his lips before he stares a hole into the camera.“I feel like I’m the Rookie of the Year. I think that’s a misinterpretation that I’m not.”
There is still some time left in the regular season, and perhaps Cade Cunningham can convince people that he should in fact win the award. With that being said, not winning the award won’t be the end of the world for him, and from the interview, it’s clear that he wants to win more with his team next season.
The Detroit Pistons have some solid young players surrounding Cade Cunningham, such as Marvin Bagley and Saddiq Bey. Hopefully, they are able to continue building via trades and the NBA Draft, and it’s only a matter of time before they are a competitive team again under Cunningham’s leadership.
