The Detroit Pistons have been getting consistent production out of No. 1 overall NBA Draft selection Cade Cunningham while winning five of their past seven games, giving hope to fans hoping to see the fruits of the rebuilding process come to life with anticipation for the future.
Cunningham himself is living up to the hype that made him the first pick and has joined some elite company through the first 50 games of his career. With 815 points to go with 289 rebounds and 255 assists, he's joined former Michigan State Spartan Magic Johnson as well as Michael Jordan, Oscar Robertson, Alvan Adams, Ben Simmons, and Luka Doncic as the only players in NBA history to reach those marks in their first 50 games:
Cade Cunningham has totaled 815 pts, 289 rebs and 255 asts in 50 career games, joining Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Oscar Robertson, Alvan Adams, Ben Simmons & Luka Doncic as the only players to reach such minimums through 50 games in NBA history. #Pistons
(via @bball_ref)
— Pistons PR (@Pistons_PR) March 7, 2022
But wait, there's more. It's worth noting that Cunningham is only 20 years old, meaning that he's joined both Johnson and Doncic to hit those stat lines at that age:
Cade Cunningham, Luka Doncic & Magic Johnson are the three to do so at age 20 or younger. #Pistons https://t.co/7D13LkRqbg
— Pistons PR (@Pistons_PR) March 7, 2022
He was rewarded for his efforts by being named the NBA's Rookie of the Month for January, averaging 17.3 PPG for the month while leading all Eastern Conference rookies in assists per game with 5.6.
So far this year, Cunningham is averaging 16.3 points per game while also grabbing 5.8 rebounds per game in an average of 31.9 minutes played.
“It's been a lot of fun,” Cunningham said earlier this year. “Yes, there are ups and downs in this journey for real, but I'm having fun playing basketball, traveling all over the place. It's been a lot of fun for me. So I'm living the dream.”
And you certainly can't blame Cunningham's confidence in his abilities, as he's proven with his stats so far in his rookie campaign.
“It's definitely a goal of mine,” he said of winning the NBA Rookie of the Year award. “I feel like I am the best rookie.”
– – Quotes via Bleacher Report Link – –
