Why Is Cade Cunningham Not Playing? Fans Lose Out on Battle of #1 Picks as Detroit Star Benched for Anthony Edwards Matchup

On Tuesday, the Detroit Pistons announced that star point guard Cade Cunningham will be re-evaluated in seven to 10 days after suffering a knee injury. The 22-year-old will be sitting out his fifth consecutive game due to his injury. During the match against the Denver Nuggets, he suffered a knee strain and left the game in the second quarter and has been out ever since.

However, before his injury, the 22-year-old star played all 36 games for the Detroit Pistons and averaged 22.8 points, 7.3 assists, and 1.9 three-pointers made per contest to go along with 4.1 rebounds and 1.0 steal. Even though these might look like impressive stats, he could not save his team, as they are currently at the bottom of the Eastern Conference rankings.

The Pistons are having a really bad season and even created a new record that they would definitely not be proud of, by suffering 27 consecutive losses this season. But due to Cade Cunningham’s 30-point effort against the Toronto Raptors, the Motor City were able to finally break their losing streak.

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While Cunningham is sidelined, the Pistons could give a larger role to Marcus Sasser and the chances of their team winning against the Minnesota Timberwolves who are currently ranked first in the Western Conference look very slim. Fans are also disappointed as they were eager to witness the face-off between Anthony Edwards and Cade Cunningham, the two #1 draft picks.

Cunningham vs. Edwards: Anticipated clash of the #1 draft picks derailed by injury

Cade Cunningham was the 2021 #1 draft pick for the Detroit Pistons and ever since he entered the squad, he has been their shining star. Despite his team’s struggles, he has been able to deliver mesmerizing performances every time he steps on the hardwood. Against the formidable squad of the Atlanta Hawks, the 22-year-old guard achieved a career-high of 43 points with a 16-24 field goal record and 3-5 from beyond the arc. This not only shows his dominance but also shows how versatile of a player he is.

On the other hand, Anthony Edwards was the 2020 #1 draft pick for the Minnesota Timberwolves and has been integral to the team. He is one of the main reasons why his franchise is at the top of the NBA table. This season he has been averaging 26 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game. Even in the Timberwolves’ latest matchup against the Clippers, Edwards played through a left knee tendonitis and still dominated the game by putting up 33 points.

Owing to this hype, fans wanted to witness the two first-picks go against each other, showcasing their dynamic playing style. As both the athletes were the first choices of their teams for the draft pick, this would have been a competition of which rookie was better than the other. However, as Cunningham is out of the game due to his injury, we will never know which 22-year-old athlete is better.

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