Pistons: 3 observations from Cade Cunningham’s Summer League
By Duncan Smith
It’s been two games in the desert for Cade Cunningham and the Detroit Pistons, and two ugly losses. The Las Vegas Summer League experience hasn’t gone exactly as planned for this young team in spite of sending multiple starters from their NBA squad.
Of course, the main stipulation here is that we’re talking about Summer League. Much like the legendary improv “game show” Whose Line Is It Anyway, everything is made up and the points don’t matter. When it comes to the action on the court, winning in Vegas doesn’t get you anything and losing doesn’t hinder you either.
That said, you’d like to see a team of experienced young NBA players and the No. 1 draft pick in the 2021 NBA draft have better results, but that’s not the ultimate goal. The goal in Vegas for the Pistons and teams like them is to get experience and gain chemistry, particularly for the top-end players expected to make a difference when the NBA season begins.
So while the games don’t matter and the outcomes are unimportant, there are still things of value to take away from individual and team performances. Since all things Cade Cunningham are the things of greatest value for the Pistons in Summer League, we’re going to put the microscope on him and see what we’ve learned in his first two games in Las Vegas.
Cade Cunningham’s Pistons Summer League observations: 1. Getting to the free-throw line isn’t easy
Through 55 minutes of Summer League action, Cunningham has yet to shoot a single free-throw. That’s anomalous because he’s a big guy who doesn’t shy away from contact. In his freshman season at Oklahoma State, he averaged 5.8 free-throw attempts per game which worked out to a free-throw rate (free-throw attempts per field goal attempt) of 39.0 percent.
It’s not damning by any means because the utter lack of spacing makes it easier to defend Cunningham straight up, giving him fewer opportunities to catch defenders off-guard and make them pay by drawing fouls. This is more on his underwhelming teammates than on him at this point, but it’s something to keep an eye on.
If he ends up going through all four Summer League games without shooting a free throw, maybe it’s a concern. At this point, it’s just bizarre and likely not worth worrying about.