Cade Cunningham suffered an early injury versus the Brooklyn Nets but vowed to return to help the Detroit Pistons. The decision to continue playing resulted in one of his finest performances of the season.
Cunningham scored 29 of his career-high-tying 34 points in the second half on Tuesday in the 130-123 loss on the road. He shot 11-of-18 from the field, including 4-of-9 from 3-point range, across the final two quarters to keep the Pistons alive down the stretch.
It was his second 30-point performance of the season.
The No. 1 pick took a hard fall in the first half and was questionable to return with a tailbone contusion. He went back to the locker room to receive treatment from the medical staff and was eventually good to go after staying on his feet.
Pistons coach Dwane Casey was proud of the performance by Cunningham.
He played hurt. I thought that was a big thing. He can come out and get 34 a lot of nights if he asserts himself but he did it while he was injured and I thought that was very admirable on his part and that is an area of growth. For a rookie to come in with his tailbone hurting and bruised and still put up the numbers and play through it says a lot about him.
Said Isaiah Stewart:
He is a warrior for that. He fought through the injury knowing that we needed him out there on the court. I respect dudes for playing through that.
With six games remaining after Tuesday, and the Pistons well out of the playoff picture, Cunningham could have thrown in the towel and sat in the second half. Instead, he decided to get back out on the court and join his teammates.
I wanted to play. I felt like the first few minutes, we had a good rhythm going. I felt like I was seeing the floor really well so I wanted to play pretty badly but how I was moving in the locker room, the medical staff was just trying to be cautious and make sure I wasn’t getting in my own way. Eventually, I just kinda ran out.
Cunningham endured a rocky start to his rookie campaign. He missed the first part of the season due to an ankle injury suffered during training camp. He was also sidelined because of the health and safety protocol and a few more games due to a hip pointer.
With immense expectations placed on him as the No. 1 pick, Cunningham heard all of the noise. He struggled once he could play, and many thought he wasn’t worthy of being the top selection. He stuck with it and eventually turned things around.
Cade Cunningham erupted for 29 points in the second-half on his way to tying a career-high with 34 points! #NBARooks #Pistons@CadeCunningham_: 34 PTS, 6 AST, 2 STL, 5 3PM pic.twitter.com/Fr3Ese1lwX
— NBA Draft (@NBADraft) March 30, 2022
He is now in the conversation to be the Rookie of the Year and leads the class in scoring average. The tides have turned and Cunningham is performing to expectations, as his outing on Tuesday demonstrated. He found out a lot about himself by pushing through those ups and downs.
I would say, more than anything, it is my perseverance through struggles, the noise and everything. Just focusing in on who I am and working on myself and not paying attention to other people’s perspective of me. I feel like just going through that and trying to stay strong, stay within the team and worry about what’s going on internally with us that’s what’s helped me be able to figure things out and help my teammates more.
Cunningham proved why he was the No. 1 pick on Tuesday. From his ability to stick with it and play through the injury, to his actual performance on the court, Cunningham earned himself quite a bit of respect from those around him.
In the end, that may be all that Cunningham needs.
This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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