Cade Cunningham Praised by Kerr After Playing Luka Dončić Role in Team USA Scrimmages
Golden State Warriors and Team USA head coach Steve Kerr was hugely impressed with Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham's performance during scrimmages Friday ahead of the FIBA World Cup.
Cunningham was part of the Select Team brought in to scrimmage with Team USA, and he had a significant hand in the Select Team winning both scrimmages that were open to the media.
In anticipation of potentially facing a Slovenian team led by Dallas Mavericks superstar guard Luka Dončić, Cunningham played the role of Dončić during the scrimmages and did it well.
Per ESPN's Tim Bontemps, Kerr liked what he saw out of the 2021 No. 1 overall draft pick, saying: "Cade looked great. The injury is clearly behind him. It's just great to see him healthy, and he's a guy who can really control a game from that point guard spot with his size and physicality, and it's good to see him looking so healthy."
The 21-year-old Cunningham was limited to just 12 games last season due to a stress fracture in his shin. Friday marked Cunningham's first competitive basketball since November, and he didn't seem to miss a bit.
Cunningham confirmed that he felt great on the court, saying: "I feel healthy again. My leg isn't a problem for me right now. So I think that's the biggest difference, just that I can just play freely and not think about my body too much."
Prior to getting injured last season, Cunningham was possibly trending toward his first All-Star selection in only his second NBA season with averages of 19.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game.
If the Pistons are going to improve in 2023-24 after finishing with 23 or fewer wins in each of the past four seasons, Cunningham will be a big reason why.
His return, along with the selection of Ausar Thompson in the first round of the 2023 NBA draft and the continued development of Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren could make the Pistons a difficult team to play against in the not-too-distant future.
Team USA got a firsthand look at how tough Cunningham is to handle, and it may have presented them with the wake-up call they needed ahead of the World Cup.
The Americans, who are looking to bounce back from an all-time worst finish of seventh place at the last FIBA World Cup in 2019, will get their 2023 tournament started on Aug. 26 against New Zealand in the Philippines.
