Jan 29, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) shoots the ball in the second half against the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Cade Cunningham's Honest Statement on 3-Point Contest Challenges

Originally posted on Detroit Pistons on SI
By Justin Grasso | Last updated Feb 16, 2025 3:00 PM ET

Saturday night’s NBA All-Star Weekend events didn’t go the way the Detroit Pistons had hoped. With Cade Cunningham representing the team on the 3-Point Contest stage, the Pistons were hoping he could pull off the upset and bring the hardware back to Michigan.

Instead, the trophy is heading back to South Beach with Miami Heat All-Star Tyler Herro.

Getting used to rapid-fire shooting from beyond the arc turned out to be a challenge for Cunningham. While he wasn’t at the bottom of the ranks after the first round, he wasn’t one of three players that advanced.

“I think just the mechanics of grabbing off the rack and shooting is the most difficult thing,” Cunningham told reporters on Saturday.

“Being out there by myself wasn’t really, that wasn’t what it was, I think it was more running around the racks and grabbing off the racks. I think that’s the main thing that’s difficult.”

Cade Cunningham on what he felt was most challenging about his first 3-point contest:

“Just the mechanics of grabbing off the rack and shooting is the most difficult thing. … Running around the racks and grabbing off the racks, I think that’s the main thing that’s difficult.” pic.twitter.com/3pbnZtcmSm
— Hunter Patterson (@HuntPatterson_) February 16, 2025

Cunningham finished with 16 points in the contest. Brooklyn Nets’ Cam Johnson and Los Angeles Clippers’ Norman Powell were the only two to score worse, tying up at 14 points.

The players who ranked higher than Cunningham but still found themselves eliminated were New York’s Jalen Brunson and Milwaukee’s Damian Lillard. The two veteran All-Stars scored 18 points.

Cleveland Cavaliers’ Darius Garland, Golden State Warriors’ Buddy Hield, and Herro were the three to go to the final round. Hield had a major first-round showing, scoring a contest-high 31 points. In the second round, he scored 23, trailing Herro by one point. As for Garland, his 19 points gave him third place in the final round.

This article first appeared on Detroit Pistons on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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