"I feel healthy again": Cade Cunningham's first competitive game in 9 months sees him dominate Team USA with Select Team
Cade Cunningham made his long-awaited return to the floor on Friday, which marked his first competitive basketball since November. The star guard of the Detroit Pistons led the Select Team to a victory over Team USA in two scrimmages in Las Vegas.
Cunningham and the rest of the Select Team - a group of young players and a couple of veterans are part of Team USA's training camp as the former champions prepare for the FIBA World Cup 2023.
Cade Cunningham, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft, excelled on Friday as he was back on the court in a competitive setting for the first time since November 9. Cunningham played only 12 games last season before undergoing surgery to repair a stress fracture in his left leg.
After practice, Cunningham said he was delighted to be pain-free and back on the court again.
"I feel great," he said, via ESPN. "I'm happy to be here. Just to be in an environment like this, playing at a high level ... the offseason, you could be anywhere playing. So it's a lot of fun trying to take most of it."
Cade Cunningham delivers a unique combination of size, strength, and skill and has shown his offensive and defensive skills in the scrimmages. His strength was also evident, as he had added some muscles to his frame.
While speaking with the media afterward, he revealed that he is in great shape (the 220-pound weight he prefers to play at) and said his leg wasn't bothering him.
"I feel healthy again," Cunningham said. "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."
Team USA and Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr was highly impressed with the performance of Cade. He said:
"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."
Some USA Select players will travel to the Philippines for the FIBA World Cup to help with training and provide depth to the roster if any current players get injured or cannot play.
New ESPN story: Steve Kerr joked it is a "time-honored tradition" for the Select Team to beat Team USA in training camp scrimmages.
The reason the Select Team did so again Friday? A dominant performance from a once-again healthy Cade Cunningham.
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Cade Cunningham's return to play is great news for the Detroit Pistons
Cade Cunningham's return is great news for the Detroit Pistons, who want to return to the winning track with former Phoenix Suns coach Monty Williams taking over.
The Pistons selected Ausar Thompson with the fifth overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft and landed guard Marcus Sasser with the 25th pick.
Cunningham has expressed the desire to return to Detroit after the end of training camp and get ready for the coming season instead of traveling to the Philippines with Team USA.
"Super excited," he said. "I think Coach Williams coming in, I feel like that's the best-case scenario for us, and we got it done. And then the young guys that we got coming in are really going to help us.
"I'm excited about them. They're great players on the court and also really good people and people that I'm excited to work with. So it should be a fun year."
Cade Cunningham averaged 19.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, and six assists in 12 games last season. He has career averages of 17.8 points, 5.6 boards, and 5.6 assists in 76 games.