Cade Cunningham missed the call for six games until his return on Saturday evening, for the reception of the grizzly ones. If there was not the victory at the end, the fault of a great Desmond Bane, his return to competition will remain the new positive of the evening since he finished best scorer of his team with 25 points, but also 9 rebounds and 4 assists in 28 minutes.
In his absence, Detroit held out and managed to secure his place for the Top 6 east by winning four additional successes including a prestige success against Cleveland at home. As a good leader, the 23 -year -old leader therefore first wanted to pay tribute to his teammates for this immense accomplishment, while the pistons finished the two previous seasons in 15th place in the East Conference!
“It's huge”,, he recalled After Saturday's match. “This is our everyday mentality, where everyone is there to help the other. To see the guys stay united and do what they did, it means a lot for the group. It's just that it speaks volumes about their professionalism, the way they worked during the year and how they prepared themselves. “
Affected in the left calf, Cade Cunningham assured being perfectly recovered. The meeting in front of the grizzles allowed him to reassure himself on the physical level and to move forward while the playoffs start in twelve days. This is now the goal, to gain power physically in order to be 100% for the next deadlines.
Twelve days to return to 100%
“I received a blow on my left calf, and then, my right calf contracted a lot. There was just a lot to manage, because I was also sick at the same time. So you had to fight against a lot of different things. The staff put me back on feet. I feel good now. I am comfortable at the idea of attacking the playoffs. It was a good match so that I could get back in legs and prepare for the future ”he added.
He now has four games left and a short week to find his best level. The timing is tight but the challenge is far from being unrealizable. For his coach JB Bickerstaff, his return is the good news of the weekend.
“It was the goal, around this number of games”he confirmed. “Of course, we didn't want to overcome it. We wanted to give him a chance to be able to find his legs and get back in rhythm. I find that he did a good job. ”
The Piston coach can still hope to get fifth place on this regular end of the season with two last games to play against Milwaukee, current fifth.
The other issues also relate to the infirmary since Jalen Duren could not play on Saturday due to an injury to the peony, and that Tobias Harris was still absent, the fault of a recurring pain in the heel.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pztdv8-9o7W
| Cade Cunningham | Percentage | Rebound | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | Lf | Off | Def | Early | PD | Fte | Int | COP | Ct | Pts |
| 2021-22 | Det | 64 | 33 | 41.6 | 31.4 | 84.5 | 0.9 | 4.6 | 5.5 | 5.6 | 3.1 | 1.2 | 3.7 | 0.7 | 17.4 |
| 2022-23 | Det | 12 | 33 | 41.5 | 27.9 | 83.7 | 1.0 | 5.2 | 6.2 | 6.0 | 2.8 | 0.8 | 3.2 | 0.6 | 19.9 |
| 2023-24 | Det | 62 | 34 | 44.9 | 35.5 | 86.9 | 0.5 | 3.8 | 4.3 | 7.5 | 2.5 | 0.9 | 3.4 | 0.4 | 22.7 |
| 2024-25 ☆ | Det | 67 | 35 | 46.0 | 35.4 | 85.5 | 0.8 | 5.4 | 6.2 | 9.1 | 2.8 | 1.0 | 4.4 | 0.7 | 25.7 |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = minutes; Shots = successful shots / tempted shots; 3pts = 3-point / 3-point attempted; LF = Successful free throws / tempted free throws; Off = offensive rebound; Def = defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; PD = assists; FTE: Personal faults; Int = interceptions; BP = lost bullets; CT: against; Pts = points.
