The Detroit Pistons are down bad and their star Cade Cunningham has blasted his team for the current situation they find themselves in.
The Pistons endured their 11th straight loss on Sunday night, going down 142-113 to the Raptors and Cunningham says its time to get honest about their struggles.
“We got to be realistic about the situation,” Cunningham told The Athletic. “It’s hard to just be like, ‘We’re good, we’re good,’ you know what I’m saying? Because we’re bad. We have to address that. We have to address what we’re not good at. Address it with not only our words but on the court, in the huddles.”
It hasn’t helped that the team has been plagued by injury to a long list of important players.
But 2021 overall number one draft pick Cunningham is done making excuses.
The Pistons’ level of effort on the court is in question and that doesn’t sit well with him.
“Unacceptable,” Cunningham said. “We’re the youngest team in the league, scrapping and clawing for everything. That should be the last thing that needs to be asked of us or talked about; how hard we’re competing. That should be a given. When we wake up in the morning, we should be like, ‘We got to get to the court.’ (Head coach Monty Williams) shouldn’t have to ask (about our competitive level). That’s something me and (Isaiah Stewart) are also trying to stay vocal about. Everyone has to come with it.”
To fix the problem will be up to those who can actually take the court right now.
Jalen Duren, who excelled in the first four games of the season, is day-to-day with an ankle injury.
Bojan Bogdanovic (calf) has no return to play timeline, neither does Monte Morris (quad) and Joe Harris (shoulder).
While Killian Hayes also joined the injury list on Sunday after suffering a shoulder injury.
Things may get worse before they get better, but at least players like Cunningham aren’t under any grand illusions.
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