Pistons’ Cade Cunningham reacts to playing in first NBA game

Cunningham called Saturday a good day after making his debut with the Pistons and scoring his first points in the NBA.

Cade Cunningham called Saturday a good day after making his debut with the Detroit Pistons and scoring his first points in the NBA in a win over the Orlando Magic.

Cunningham started the contest and was placed on a strict minute count during his first action. He finished with two points, seven rebounds, two assists and one blocked shot in 19 minutes of work. He shot 1-of-8 from the field, missing all five of his 3-point attempts.

The No. 1 overall pick suffered a sprained right ankle at the beginning of training camp and was unable to play with the Pistons until Saturday. The team opted to ease Cunningham back into action as he made steady progress since initially suffering the injury.

Afterward, Cunningham reflected on his first game with the Pistons.

I think it was good. I feel like, coming in, just being able to make some plays off the ball, get some rebounds. I feel like I was solid defensively. Those are the points I really wanted to come out and prove to myself that my ankle was straight, that I could move and guard and do everything well. I got all of the jitters out and now I can just go play free.

Cunningham scored his lone basket of the contest in the first half during his second stint on the court. With 5:10 left in the second quarter, Cunningham caught the ball from Saddiq Bey, drove strong into the paint and converted a layup attempt with his left hand.

Cunningham missed his first five shot attempts but looked to help move the ball well and create for his teammates before getting his layup to go. He experienced some nerves coming into the contest but still believed his confidence was at a high level on the court.

Overall, though, Cunningham was excited to get the Pistons’ first win.

All of the time you spent trying to prepare your mind for it, once you get out there, you’re still going to feel the excitement of just wanting to play. I was so anxious from game time today just because there have been so many games I’ve been a part of the warmup and then I have to sit. This was the first time fully going through the whole process, which was a lot of fun. I think it was a good day. We got a good win.

Cunningham appeared to handle the setback very well, and looked to be fully healthy on the court. The team certainly missed his presence over the first five games of the season but they can now move forward and get his season into full gear.

Detroit returns to action on Sunday versus the Brooklyn Nets. Cunningham is not expected to play.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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