New Orleans Pelicans Pixels: Dante Cunningham does a little bit of everything
By Rick Stone
New Orleans Pelicans forward Dante Cunningham is known to do a little bit of everything on the court, similar to Megaman’s do-it-all companion Rush.
It’s not all advanced stats and critiques of the front office here at Pelican Debrief. Nope. We can have fun, too. Pelicans Pixels is a series in which the writers at Pelican Debrief make a humorous comparison between a video character and a Pelicans players. Why did we do this? No particular reason; we’re just big kids at heart. We hope you enjoy reading Pelicans Pixels as much as we enjoyed writing the series.
The New Orleans Pelicans have had some struggles to find key role players on their team in recent history.
While Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday have done well in their respective roles, the bench and key starters have been a bit trickier to get right. However, one player the Pelicans have found to be huge is Dante Cunningham.
While most would expect a good role player off the bench to have a key area of focus, Dante is the exact opposite. He contributes a little bit in almost every statistical category. He can score a little. He can rebound a little. He can defend. He can gets a few steals and blocks on occasion. He’s a decent passer. To put it simply, he can do it all.
However, he doesn’t usually contribute a ton in each game. Cunningham averaged 6.1 points, three rebounds and an assist per game this season. He also averaged a half of a block and a half of a steal. He made just under one three-pointer a game and shot 45.1% from the field.
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If those numbers don’t blow you away, well, they shouldn’t. But they are important contributions across the board. Dante Cunningham does enough in each statistic for the New Orleans Pelicans to balance out the extremities with each lineup. He fits the need the team asks of him.
He played in 80 games this season, the most of any player on the roster. When he’s needed, he’s there. It’s similar to a support character that fits the need of his hero. That hero is Megaman. And Dante Cunningham’s video game equivalent is Rush.
Rush is a robotic dog and faithful companion to Megaman of the “Megaman” series. The hero is out to stop the evil Dr.Wily from destroying the world. In Megaman 3, Rush is introduced to help out Megaman in his quest. So why does Rush embody Dante Cunningham’s game so well? Simple. He does a little bit of everything.
Throughout the game, Rush can transform into different items that aid in Megaman’s quest. One of those items is a coil that appears on his back, for the hero launch on to get to higher platforms. Rush can transform into a jet that can be ridden to hover over obstacles as well. There’s even a submarine Rush can turn into for Megaman to go underwater.
As the series progressed, the options for Rush grew even more. In some games, he can dig up items for Megaman to use in the game. He also has options to turn into a bike for easy travel or a drill to go through waves of enemies. If there’s something Megaman needs aid with, Rush can help. It’s the same way with how Dante Cunningham helps the Pelicans.
Both Dante and Rush seem to help out with their ability to do whatever is necessary. For Rush, it’s bringing his hero whatever he needs to get past the obstacle in front of him. For Cunningham, it’s filling whatever role the Pelicans need of him that night.
Whether it be a stretch four shooter, a defense-first role or an effort player on the floor. He’s not going to blow you away, but he’s consistent enough with his numbers across the board to bring his role, whatever it be, the contribution the team is looking for.
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The role of Dante Cunningham on the New Orleans Pelicans has been a consistent sidekick to the stars. Bring whatever is necessary every night out and fill whatever role is needed. Just like Rush’s ability to aid Megaman in tough situations, Cunningham kept his output secure all season and did the job his team asked from him each game. It’s an underrated skill set to have, yet not one to be overlooked after this tough New Orleans Pelicans season.