Cavs’ Evan Mobley back atop Ladder due to his truly rare effect on winning
Barnes, Raptors stay hot, while Cunningham’s injuries mount
Like I said earlier, I am happy to see Scottie Barnes back on the second rung this week. As an open critic of him this summer, he has proven me wrong. I didn’t think his shooting would translate to the NBA, nor would his overall play. I was very wrong. He’s making a huge difference for the Raptors, stuffing the box score every night.
Barnes is averaging 14.8 points per game, 7.8 rebounds per game, and over three assists per night. And Toronto has now won six straight games, and are sitting comfortably in the sixth spot in the Eastern Conference standings. They remain only three games behind the Cavs in fourth place, and four games behind the conference-leading Miami Heat. During this stretch, it also needs to be noted that Barnes is shooting 49.2 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from deep.
As we move past Barnes, thing are starting to get a little bit worrisome for the Detroit Pistons. I don’t think this is a trend that will continue throughout his career, but Cade Cunningham’s early injuries are causing me a little bit of concern. Cunningham missed all of the preseason and the first five games of the season, due to an ankle injury. Then nearly two months later, he ended up in the NBA’s Health and Safety protocols. Finally on Feb. 1 he picked up a hip injury and has yet to return to the court.
There have been times when Cade Cunningham has been great this season, as we noted, though. His triple-double in the Pistons’ win over the Cavs was a sight to see. Even taking that into account, at some point the best ability is availability. Like I said I’m not too worried this is a trend that will continue, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they are extra cautious with Cunningham. Why not be? He was the first overall pick, and has all the tools to become a superstar in the league.
However, the Pistons are one of the worst teams in the NBA this season, so they will likely be getting another high draft pick next season. If I were the Pistons I surely would not rush him back to the court. We’ll have to see how this plays out throughout the season.
Overall, this has been an outstanding year for this rookie class. Guys like Herbert Jones of the Pelicans and Ayo Dosunmu of the Chicago Bulls are proving their worth this season. Chris Duarte of the Pacers had a great start to the season, but fell into a slump. With Caris LeVert being traded to the Cavaliers, it might allow for Duarte to take more of a head-on approach, which in the long run should be good for the Pacers. Not to mention, Indiana also acquired second-year star Tyrese Haliburton before the trade deadline.
Next. A Collin Sexton Cavs return, 'surplus' of ball handlers would be ideal. dark
If you take a look around, it looks like the Eastern Conference is tipping the scales on which conference is better. With that being said, these rookies have been a joy to watch, so let’s just sit back and enjoy some good basketball.