Before facing Cade Cunningham and the Detroit Pistons, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso compared the former to Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic. The defensive specialist sees similarities between the two. Coming off the Thunder’s huge win against the champion Boston Celtics, Caruso explained what makes Cunningham such a unique player.
For many, Doncic is considered a top-five NBA talent. While Caruso agrees that Cunningham still has ways to go before reaching Luka’s level, he sees a familiar style in the Pistons’ first-year All-Star guard.
“I don’t want to throw out too many comparisons, but just with his size and skillset, he’s got a little bit of Luka [Doncic],” Caruso said. “Obviously, Luka’s a very special, unique player. He’s got six [NBA] First Team or five First Teams in his first however many years in the league. That’s a high standard, but he’s got a little bit of that. Big guard, main handler, can shoot, can post up, good at drawing fouls; he kind of plays in the midrange, too. He’s got a little bit of everything.”
Alex Caruso, who played for the Chicago Bulls before his trade to the Thunder, had an up-close look at Cunningham while defending him in the Eastern Conference’s Central Division.
“His pace has really slowed down. I saw it last year a little bit, playing against him in his first year. Then, last year, he’s a big guard,” Caruso said. “He’s like six-seven. Probably 200-something pounds. He gets you on your hip and then gets to that 10-foot floater. He can post up on smaller guys. Then, this year, he’s shooting the three-ball well, which I think really complements his game.”
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander says Thunder’s win versus Celtics is ‘huge’
Thunder All-Star Jalen Williams reacted to Wednesday’s win over the Celtics. After the victory, fellow Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander explained its significance.
“It’s huge. Because they’ve done what we’re trying to do, the games are always going to be heightened. They’re always going to be a little more exciting,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “They’ve, like I say, achieved what we’re trying to accomplish. There’s no better test in the NBA. You play for late June, and they’re the team that won in late June. So, playing against them is always fun and is always a really big challenge.”
The Thunder will look to improve to 2-0 on their three-game road trip against the Pistons.
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