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Cade Cunningham Mirrors Pistons Legend “Who Was Meant to Replace Michael Jordan” With Hot Streak in Recent Games

Published 03/05/2022, 7:30 PM EST

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The Detroit Pistons are second-last in their conference and are having a season to forget. Amidst all this, Cade Cunningham is the silver lining. Cunningham has been phenomenal in the recent games and his performances have been compared to Grant Hill, the man who was dubbed as the successor of Michael Jordan.

USA Today via Reuters

Despite being dubbed as one of the hottest talents in the league, Grant Hill had a disastrous end. He showed a lot of promise in his rookie season and Cade Cunningham’s performances are making the Pistons fanbase nostalgic.

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Cade Cunningham delivers fantastic performances

While the Detroit Pistons team struggles for results, Cade Cunningham is trying his best to save the team. His recent performances have garnered praise for the youngster.

He is often the player initiating the Pistons’ offense, and he entered the league much to the enthusiasm of the Pistons’ fanbase. Safe to say, he has lived up to all expectations.

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USA Today via Reuters

Being in his rookie season, Cunningham averages 16.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game. Moreover, his recent run of form is making every Pistons fan happy. Cunningham has scored 20+ points in his 3 consecutive games. Interestingly enough, he is only the first Pistons rookie to achieve such a feat after 1995.

The last one was Grant Hill in 1995. Hill belonged to the ‘Bad Boy Pistons’ led by Isiah Thomas that rivaled the Chicago Bulls and Michael Jordan. Moreover, he was dubbed as being the successor of Jordan.

Why was Hill dubbed as the successor of Michael Jordan?

Players being dubbed as the next Michael Jordan and success don’t go hand in hand. Whether it is Grant Hill, Harold Milner, or Felipe Lopez, they have all had disappointing careers after being named the next Jordan.

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Hill had the potential to be really special. The comparisons with MJ started all the way back during Hill’s college days. A columnist wrote that Hill could be Duke’s best player and “the next Michael Jordan or Julius Erving.

Grant Hill was the third overall pick in the 1994 draft and was picked by the Detroit Pistons. Despite putting in good performances in his initial years, an injury ruined it all. He suffered an ankle injury during the 1999-2000 season, which slowed down his progress.

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Hill underwent surgeries for the next five seasons that started the steady decline in his career. He retired with an average of 16.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.1 assists per game, and a huge load of wasted potential.

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Written by:

Abhinava Ghosh

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Abhinava is an NBA writer for EssentiallySports. He is currently pursuing his Bachelor's in Journalism and Mass Communication. Abhinava has been following NBA for the past 6 years and is a huge fan of the Golden State Warriors and Stephen Curry.
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