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Cade Cunningham Joins Elite Company in Pistons vs. Nets Matchup

Cade Cunningham improved his impressive resume on Thursday night against the Nets.
Cade Cunningham Joins Elite Company in Pistons vs. Nets Matchup
Cade Cunningham Joins Elite Company in Pistons vs. Nets Matchup

As the Detroit Pistons and the Brooklyn Nets battled it out on Thursday night, the former No. 1 overall pick, Cade Cunningham, put himself in a historic category, joining elite company.

After scoring his 15th point against the Nets, Cunningham became the sixth-fastest player in NBA history to notch 2,500 career points and 800 assists. It took just 128 games to accomplish that feat.

First, you see the great Oscar Robertson, followed by Allen Iverson, Luka Doncic, Trae Young, and LeBron James. Next up on the list is the Pistons’ former top pick.

Cunningham’s accomplishment is obviously impressive, but what makes it even more interesting is the fact that the young guard battled some notable injuries throughout the first stretch of his career. 

During his rookie effort, Cunningham missed chunks of games at times and appeared in just 64 games. His 17 points per game helped him earn Rookie of the Year honors.

His sophomore year didn’t go as expected. Due to an injury, Cunningham managed to only appear in 12 games for the Pistons last season. He averaged 20 points per game with the small sample size, but it certainly didn’t do Cunningham any favors as year two was critical for his NBA development.

Fortunately, Cunningham has avoided any major setbacks this season. Appearing in 51 games leading up to Thursday’s matchup against the Nets, Cunningham has averaged 22 points this season while spending nearly 34 minutes on the court per game.

He had one of his better nights against the Nets on Thursday as he scored 32 points in 38 minutes of action. The young guard’s contributions helped the Pistons achieve their tenth win of the year. The Pistons defeated the Nets 118-112.


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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Justin Grasso was a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s 76ers On SI Network. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writers Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoMedia

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