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It's been a year of firsts for Detroit Pistons star Cade Cunningham: First All-Star appearance, first time on a winning NBA team, and now his first time in the playoffs.
That's a lot for the first-overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft, and it may not be the end of his new experiences. Will he soon grab his first NBA playoff win? His first series win? Perhaps even his first NBA title?
Only time will tell as the Pistons take on the New York Knicks in Detroit's first playoff series since 2019, with Game 1 scheduled for Saturday at 6 p.m. ET. Pistons fans will be eager to see if the team's new star can snap the franchises' 14-game playoff losing streak and get Detroit its first series win since 2008.
PREDICTION TIME: Who wins Pistons-Knicks playoff series? Detroit vs Everybody after 43 expert predictions
Cunningham's stats this year place him amongst the best players in the league, and the Pistons will need him to be at least at that level to compete.
Here are three things to know about the Detroit Pistons' star point guard.
Here's an incomplete list of the career highs Cunningham has set this season:
Cunningham's 9.1 assists per game led the team and officially ranked fourth in the NBA, while his 26.1 points per game ranked seventh in the league. Top 10 in both assists and points? Not bad.
And two of Cunningham's standout performances from this past season have come against the Knicks.
After a 2020-21 season which saw the Pistons go 20-52, Detroit won the draft lottery and selected Cunningham first overall out of Oklahoma State. He made an immediate impact as a rookie in the 2021-22 season as the team's second-leading scorer with 17.4 points per game.
Injuries prevented Cunningham from truly blossoming as a rookie, however, as a preseason ankle sprain and other nagging pains limited him to 64 games on the season.
Cunningham still finished third in the rookie of the year voting, behind Toronto's Scottie Barnes and Cleveland's Evan Mobley. Injuries caused problems for Cunningham in Year 2 and Year 3 as well, however, he turned into a bonafide star in his fourth NBA season.
After an early-season 30-point loss against the Knicks, the Pistons handled their current playoff opponent for the rest of their regular-season matchups, with the franchise star leading the charge.
Cunningham became the first Piston to record a triple double at New York's Madison Square Garden with 29 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds in a Dec. 7 matchup. The historic effort helped power the Pistons to a 120-111 victory, and Cunningham's next two games against the Knicks were arguably even more impressive.
After a challenging first half, Cunningham roared back in the second of the Pistons' 124-119 win over the Knicks on Jan. 13, finishing with 36 points as the Pistons won their seventh game in eight contests. He added another 36-point performance back at home on April 10 as the Pistons beat the Knicks 115-106 in one of their most impressive victories of the season.
In total, Cunningham averaged 30.8 points, 8.3 assists and five rebounds over four games this season against the Knicks.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Cade Cunningham stats: Detroit Pistons star vs Knicks, rest of NBA
Continue reading...
That's a lot for the first-overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft, and it may not be the end of his new experiences. Will he soon grab his first NBA playoff win? His first series win? Perhaps even his first NBA title?
Only time will tell as the Pistons take on the New York Knicks in Detroit's first playoff series since 2019, with Game 1 scheduled for Saturday at 6 p.m. ET. Pistons fans will be eager to see if the team's new star can snap the franchises' 14-game playoff losing streak and get Detroit its first series win since 2008.
PREDICTION TIME: Who wins Pistons-Knicks playoff series? Detroit vs Everybody after 43 expert predictions
Cunningham's stats this year place him amongst the best players in the league, and the Pistons will need him to be at least at that level to compete.
Here are three things to know about the Detroit Pistons' star point guard.
No. 1: Cade Cunningham stats: Near career highs across the board
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Here's an incomplete list of the career highs Cunningham has set this season:
- Games played (70).
- Minutes per game (35.0).
- Field-goal percentage (46.9%).
- Three-point percentage (35.6%).
- Assists per game (9.1).
- Points per game (26.1).
Cunningham's 9.1 assists per game led the team and officially ranked fourth in the NBA, while his 26.1 points per game ranked seventh in the league. Top 10 in both assists and points? Not bad.
And two of Cunningham's standout performances from this past season have come against the Knicks.
No. 2: What pick was Cade Cunningham in 2021 NBA draft?
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After a 2020-21 season which saw the Pistons go 20-52, Detroit won the draft lottery and selected Cunningham first overall out of Oklahoma State. He made an immediate impact as a rookie in the 2021-22 season as the team's second-leading scorer with 17.4 points per game.
Injuries prevented Cunningham from truly blossoming as a rookie, however, as a preseason ankle sprain and other nagging pains limited him to 64 games on the season.
Cunningham still finished third in the rookie of the year voting, behind Toronto's Scottie Barnes and Cleveland's Evan Mobley. Injuries caused problems for Cunningham in Year 2 and Year 3 as well, however, he turned into a bonafide star in his fourth NBA season.
No. 3: Cade Cunningham stats vs New York Knicks
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After an early-season 30-point loss against the Knicks, the Pistons handled their current playoff opponent for the rest of their regular-season matchups, with the franchise star leading the charge.
Cunningham became the first Piston to record a triple double at New York's Madison Square Garden with 29 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds in a Dec. 7 matchup. The historic effort helped power the Pistons to a 120-111 victory, and Cunningham's next two games against the Knicks were arguably even more impressive.
After a challenging first half, Cunningham roared back in the second of the Pistons' 124-119 win over the Knicks on Jan. 13, finishing with 36 points as the Pistons won their seventh game in eight contests. He added another 36-point performance back at home on April 10 as the Pistons beat the Knicks 115-106 in one of their most impressive victories of the season.
In total, Cunningham averaged 30.8 points, 8.3 assists and five rebounds over four games this season against the Knicks.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Cade Cunningham stats: Detroit Pistons star vs Knicks, rest of NBA
Continue reading...
