1-22 season, Cunningham contributed 17.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game in 32.6 minutes per game, with a shooting percentage of 41.6%/31.4%/84.5% in three events.
From the basic data, we can draw two points:
① is relatively versatile;
② is not very offensively efficient;
As a comparison, the template for Cunningham's draft Doncic's three-event shooting percentage in the rookie season was 42.7%/32.7%/71.3%.
It can be seen that Doncic's offensive efficiency during his rookie period is relatively not high, but this does not prevent him from growing into a star or even a superstar in the future.
Therefore, with Doncic as a reference, with good performance in his rookie season, Pistons will definitely focus on cultivating Cunningham. I mean, even if the latter has a cap of , even if the latter is not as high as Doncic, it will be a very good combat power if it continues to grow.
Based on this point, it is not difficult to understand why the piston bought out Kemba Walker .
My understanding is:
In the 741 games that have been around since his career, Walker's round usage rate is 27%. In comparison, Westbrook averaged 32.1% in his career. It can be seen that Walker still has a relatively large demand for ball rights.
So there is a need for ball rights, considering the age of 32, it obviously hinders Cunningham's growth. After all, the latter is only 21 years old, which is the future of the Pistons.
—Data.
1-22 season, Walker can contribute 11.6 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game with 25.6 minutes per game. Convert to 16.4 points, 4.2 rebounds and 5.0 assists every 36 minutes.
There is something that I have to mention about the basic data - -point . On the data of
, 2.0 shots per game were averaged 5.4 shots, with a shooting percentage of 36.7%.
—Different ending methods.
- has 17.8% of the way to complete the three-point end after running without the ball, with a shooting percentage of 40.9%;
- 5.7% of the way to complete the three-point end after holding the ball, with a shooting percentage of 34.8%;
—Efficiency under different defensive intensities.
- has 14.3% of the three-point shots completed within 4 feet of the opponent's distance, with a shooting rate of 37.7%;
- has 13.0% of the three-point shots completed within 6 feet of the opponent's distance, with a shooting rate of 41.7%;
From the above two major data, in addition to holding the ball, , no matter the distance of the defender, as long as there is a three-point chance after running without the ball, Walker can effectively grasp .
In fact, in the game against Wizards , Walker scored a season-high 44 points in the game 27 shots and 14 three-pointers (shot 7 three-pointers). In addition, in the 18-19 season against the 76ers, Walker scored a career-high 60 points. In this game, the efficiency outside the three-point line was 6 of 14 shots.
Therefore, to a certain extent, as long as Walker has a stable output outside the three-point line, he can provide good combat power.
For Walker, after being bought out by the Pistons, I think there is a very good chance of joining Lakers .
First of all, Walker becomes a free agent after the buyout, which leads to the price of the new signing not being too high, basically the basic salary. The Lakers can sign directly as long as they have a quota of players.
Secondly, although Walker has declined from his peak at this stage, as mentioned earlier, the three-pointer is still online, which is in line with James 's attack. What I mean is:
James' breakthrough can make Walker's three-point shooting require a mobile phone; Walker's restraint outside the three-point line can open up space for James' breakthrough.
More, the Lakers' super high exposure can also play a role in reproving Walker to the league. Just like Monk, it was a "counterattack" from completing the basic salary to nearly 10 million yuan in annual salary.
However, even if Walker joins, it doesn't have any substantial significance to James when Nunn returns from injury and is in good condition.
First of all, in the 5 games of the preseason, Nunn averaged 2.2 three-pointers and a shooting percentage of up to 40.7%, which can be said to be very efficient. This means that Nunn can do what Walker can do at this stage.
Secondly, he is 183 tall and can only play as a defender, and cannot swing upward to the front line. At this stage, the Lakers have enough guards, especially after signing with Schroder .
Combined with the above two points, when Nunn replaces three-pointers and cannot play on the front line and share James' forward defense, even if he signs Walker at a minimum salary, it doesn't make any sense in my opinion. It’s better to keep the player quota and wait for the buyout forward line with flexibility.
