Tag: cade cunningham

NBA unveils the finalists for the Rookie of the Year award

The NBA on Sunday announced the three contenders for the Rookie of the Year award.

On Sunday, the NBA unveiled the three finalists for the Rookie of the Year award on TNT based on the voting results from a global panel of sportswriters and broadcasters.

Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham, Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley and Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes were announced as the three contenders for the award after strong individual performances this season.

Cunningham led the rookie class in scoring average after posting 17.4 points, 5.6 assists, 5.5 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 64 games. He was second in assists and third in steals. Cunningham became the youngest player in team history to register a triple-double at 20 years, 57 days.

Mobley averaged 15 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.7 blocks in 69 games. He led all first-year players in rebounding, blocked shots and double-doubles (21). He was one of two players this season to average at least 14 points, eight rebounds and 1.5 blocks on 50% shooting.

Barnes finished averaging 15.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.1 steals in 74 games. He was third in scoring, third in rebounding and fourth in steals. He was named the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month from February to April.

The race for the annual award appears to be as competitive as it has been in quite some time. The three players each have a strong case to win, and there is no clear-cut choice to win. The final voting results figure to be very close and could go down as one of the tightest races in history.

The rookie class has dazzled throughout the season and could emerge as one of the best ever. The conversation for Rookie of the Year will escalate, but the spirited debate further highlights how impressive the group has been this season.

The winner will be announced on TNT during its coverage of the playoffs.

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

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ESPN’s Zach Lowe reveals 2021-22 NBA All-Rookie teams

Lowe revealed his official ballot on Thursday with the three likely Rookie of the Year front-runners leading way for the first team.

With the 2021-22 regular season now wrapped up, several members of the media have started to reveal their official ballots for the end-of-season awards voting.

A panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters are responsible for casting ballots for Most Valuable Player, Defensive Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year and several other categories. Included in the voting are the All-Rookie teams, which are voted on without consideration for positions.

Zach Lowe of ESPN, who is a voter, revealed his official ballot on Thursday with the three likely Rookie of the Year front-runners leading way in Cade Cunningham, Evan Mobley and Scottie Barnes.

2021-22 NBA All-Rookie first team

Player Team
Cade Cunningham Detroit Pistons
Evan Mobley Cleveland Cavaliers
Scottie Barnes Toronto Raptors
Franz Wagner Orlando Magic
Herb Jones New Orleans Pelicans

Currently, four of the five first-team players appear to be locked in on most ballots with Cunningham, Mobley, Barnes and Wagner. Lowe revealed the only decision to make came down to the fifth pick and it was between Jones and Jalen Green of the Houston Rockets.

He ultimately went with Jones with Green falling to the second team.

2021-22 NBA All-Rookie second team

Player Team
Jalen Green Houston Rockets
Alperen Sengun Houston Rockets
Bones Hyland Denver Nuggets
Ayo Dosunmu Chicago Bulls
Josh Giddey Oklahoma City Thunder

Lowe explained that Giddey would have made the first team but ultimately dropped to the second team due to the number of games he missed. He appeared in only 54 games and played in only one game after the All-Star break due to a hip injury.

Said Lowe:

The only drama on first team was the final spot, which came down to Jones and Green. Had Giddey played more games, that spot was his.

With such a good rookie class this year, there were plenty of candidates to choose from for the 10 spots across the two teams. Of course, there are going to be plenty of snubs from the All-Rookie teams and some solid players are going to be left off.

The voting for Rookie of the Year and the All-Rookie teams will certainly be worth monitoring when the results are released by the NBA. The two categories look to be among the most competitive this year, which left voters with something serious to consider.

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

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2021 NBA draft class: Final rookie stat leaders for the 2021-22 season

Rookie Wire took a look back at which first-year players were among the leaders in scoring, rebounding, assists and more.

With the 2021-22 regular season wrapped up, observers of the NBA can now take a look back at the year that was and evaluate how each player performed, including the rookie class.

The group played at a high level throughout the season with several individuals emerging as potential future All-Stars. As a result, the Rookie of the Year voting is expected to be highly competitive with as many as five players in the running to win.

Rookie Wire took a look back at how the class performed and which players were among the leaders in key statistical categories, including scoring, rebounding and assists.

Note: Stat leaders are according to NBA.com.

Jason Kidd gives high praise to Pistons rookie Cade Cunningham

Ahead of his first matchup versus Dallas, Cunningham earned high praise from Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd.

Ahead of his first matchup of the season versus Dallas, Detroit Pistons rookie Cade Cunningham earned high praise from Mavericks head coach and Hall of Famer Jason Kidd.

Cunningham, who missed the first meeting against the Mavericks on Feb. 8, recorded 25 points, nine assists, seven rebounds, two steals and one blocked shot in the 131-113 loss on Wednesday. It was his eighth game of the season with at least 25 points, five assists and five rebounds.

The No. 1 pick is in contention to win Rookie of the Year behind a strong season with the Pistons. Kidd believes it should be Cunningham that wins the award.

He has done an incredible job in his first year. I think he has had some injuries but I think the big thing is to be so young and so talented, it matches this league. He is probably the favorite to win Rookie of the Year but to be able to be a point guard and do the things he has done on a nightly basis is very impressive.

Cunningham, in 63 games, is averaging 17.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.2 steals. He currently leads the rookie class in scoring average and is second in assists and third in steals. He was also the youngest player in team history to register a triple-double at 20 years, 57 days.

The Rookie of the Year race projects to be tight this season with several other players in the mix to win, including Evan Mobley, Scottie Barnes and Franz Wagner. But in Kidd’s eyes, it may very well be Cunningham that is the eventual winner.

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

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Pistons’ Cade Cunningham played only 7 minutes in win over Thunder

Cunningham finished with just two points on Friday in a win over the Thunder on the road.

Detroit Pistons rookie Cade Cunningham logged just under eight minutes of work on Friday in a win over the Oklahoma City Thunder but that was by design, according to head coach Dwane Casey.

Cunningham recorded just two points during the 110-101 win on the road, playing only in the first quarter. He played the first seven minutes and 42 seconds of the game, and then checked out at the 4:18 mark. He would not return to the contest.

Afterward, Casey said the team opted to give some of its starters a bit of a rest with various injuries beginning to pile up. Cunningham previously dealt with a tailbone contusion and back injury, while Saddiq Bey is going through some hip discomfort.

The injuries, Casey said, are not expected to be long-term issues.

They have some nicks and bumps. Saddiq’s hip is a little banged up. Cade’s back is a little banged up. It gives us the opportunity to play the young guys and that’s what we wanted to do. If we were competing for playoff position, they probably could have gone out and played but we wanted to make sure we didn’t risk anything. We’ll see going forward where they are.

The contest marked the first time Cunningham played in the Sooner State since leaving Oklahoma State last season. He was greeted with a warm ovation on the court and loved the opportunity to play in front of those Cowboys fans in attendance.

Detroit has four games left to play this season and will likely continue to limit Cunningham the rest of the way should there still be some discomfort with his tailbone and back. He has emerged as a franchise cornerstone and the team will ensure he is 100% moving forward.

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

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Sixers ‘ Tobias Harris impressed with Pistons rookie Cade Cunningham

Philadelphia 76ers forward Tobias Harris is left feeling impressed with Detroit Pistons rookie Cade Cunningham.

DETROIT–The Philadelphia 76ers entered Little Caesars Arena on Thursday evening looking to bounce back. They were coming off a close loss at home and they had an opportunity to get back after it against the Detroit Pistons who sported a 20-56 record entering the game.

The Pistons are led by a gifted rookie in Cade Cunningham who is making a serious push for Rookie of the Year after a slow start. He had 27 points to lead the Pistons to a 102-94 upset win over the Sixers on Thursday and he caught the eye of the Sixers after the game.

“I mean he’s a great player,” said Sixers veteran Tobias Harris. “Obviously, earlier in the season, he was just finding his way, but once they kind of gave him the keys to run the offense and do what he’s got to do out there. He’s blossoming in his own, but yes, his pace out there in the game of controlling, he’s a really good pick-and-roll player. He’s out there making plays for other guys getting downhill. So, he’s tough.”

Harris himself had 14 points on 6-for-9 shooting and he was 2-for-3 from deep. However, his effort was not enough to overcome Cunningham who shot 12-for-20 for the Pistons.

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

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Player grades: Cade Cunningham leads Pistons past Joel Embiid, Sixers

Cade Cunningham had a big night as the Detroit Pistons knocked off Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers.

DETROIT–The Philadelphia 76ers hit the road on Thursday looking to bounce back from a tough loss at home on Tuesday. Their opponent in this one was the Detroit Pistons who entered the contest with the 14th best record in the East at 20-56. Even with that record, the Pistons gave the Sixers a battle.

Philadelphia led for a majority of the game, but their largest lead was only eight as rookie Cade Cunningham kept Detroit in the game and, eventually, the Pistons were able to upset the Sixers 102-94. Cunningham had 27 points to pace Detroit and help the team get the job done while Saddiq Bey had 20 points.

Joel Embiid led the Sixers with 37 points and 15 rebounds, James Harden had 18 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists, Tobias Harris added 14 points on 6-for-9 shooting and five rebounds, and Tyrese Maxey had 13. The bench unit could only muster up eight points on an overall tough night compared to 39 for the Pistons.

Here are the player grades following a bad loss:

Sixers impressed with improvement from Pistons rookie Cade Cunningham

The Philadelphia 76ers have been impressed with the play of Detroit Pistons rookie Cade Cunningham.

BIRMINGHAM, Mich.—As the Philadelphia 76ers prepare for a late-season matchup with the Detroit Pistons on Thursday night, the focus for them is continuing to try and get ready for what they expect will be a deep run into the postseason.

The Pistons sport the second to worst record in the East at 20-56, but they have a young core led by potential Rookie of the Year Cade Cunningham, and they have shown flashes of promise down the stretch.

On the season, Cunningham is averaging 17.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 5.6 assists and he has gotten much better as the season has gone on. He’s averaging 22.5 points, 7.1 assists, and 6.2 rebounds in the month of March and he has caught the eye of Sixers coach Doc Rivers.

“I love him,” said Rivers. “I’ll tell you, watching him from the beginning of the year to now, I’m amazed at his improvement. You could always see it, but when we played them early on, I didn’t know. I didn’t see it. I trusted my eyes from college watching him and even our guys were like, ‘Man I don’t think’, I said ‘No, he’s gonna be good’. It’s just gonna take him a minute.”

The Pistons are led by former Coach of the Year Dwane Casey who has been known for being an excellent developer of young players and Cunningham and this young roster has been no different.

In the month of November, Cunningham was averaging only 14.6 points and it looked like the game was too fast for him. In a Nov. 4 matchup against the Sixers, he only shot 4-for-17, but he shot 9-for-10 from the line to score 18 points.

“His improvement has been unbelievable,” Rivers added. “Case and their group, they have done an unbelievable job developing that kid.”

On paper, this is a game the Sixers should win. They have the better talent in Joel Embiid and James Harden, but Cunningham and the Pistons have been battling teams to the end. Their last matchup with the Brooklyn Nets was a big example of that where they led for a majority of the game.

“I think these teams are dangerous,” Rivers said. “You saw the Brooklyn game the other night, they were up the whole game. I think at the end of the year, when you’re out of the playoffs, what do you do? You play free and that’s what they’re doing and they play hard.”

The Sixers will have to keep their guard up and be ready for this matchup. These guys are NBA players too.

“These guys are competing for jobs for next year,” Rivers finished. “Some of these guys want to make sure that I’m part of the core that Detroit’s gonna build for next year. They have a nice young thing going on here and some guys wanna be part of that. So you gotta deal with that as well.”

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

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Playing through injury, Cade Cunningham earned respect from Pistons

Cunningham played through an early injury and the decision to stay in resulted in one of his finest performances of the season.

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.

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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There goes that Mann: Tre rising up in latest Rookie Power Rankings

Rookie Wire takes a look at the top first-year players over the last two weeks of the 2021-22 season.

With less than 10 games to go in the 2021-22 season for most teams, the NBA has seen several storylines break out recently. As a result, there have been some incredible individual performances.

The stars of the league have seemingly gone off on a nightly basis as of late, while the rookie class continues to show out. They may not be exploding for 50 points like their peers, but the group continues to throw its weight around as one of the best classes in recent memory.

To make sense of it all, we took a look at the best recent performances of these first-year players and ranked them in the latest edition of the Rookie Wire Power Rankings. The rankings are not for Rookie of the Year purposes but, rather, to illustrate the best players week to week.