Brandon Roy, who, like Cunningham, was a four-year college player, took a liking to Cunningham's maturity and confidence early in training camp. Roy saw a bit of himself in Cunningham and casually developed into a mentor.
Roy joked that he and best friend Outlaw needed to expand their "duo" into a "trio," so they took "Dante under our wing." But Outlaw's unexpected absence has led Roy and Cunningham to grow closer sooner. After Outlaw suffered a broken left foot and stopped traveling with the team, Cunningham approached Roy on the team plane and asked if he could sit in Outlaw's open seat next to Roy.
"I was like, 'Nah, that's Trav's seat, you can't sit there,'" Roy said, laughing, recalling the conversation. "Then I was, like, 'Never mind, go ahead, you got a seat. And now we just sit next to each other on the plane and we just talk."
Roy has shared knowledge about the nuances of the NBA and passed along tips for survival on the road. The two regularly eat dinner together in NBA cities and hang out during off nights on trips.
"He knows that I don't know anybody in these cities, so he's making sure I'm staying out of trouble and stuff like that and taking me along with him," Cunningham said. "Honestly, it's been tremendous."
More than anything, Roy has stressed the importance of patience and confidence. Cunningham did not play in 10 of the Blazers' first 13 games, a scenario that often causes players to check out mentally.
"I just told him to continue to work hard and even when you're not playing, you have to prepare as if you're gonna play, because when Coach does throw you in the fire, you don't want to be looking like you're not in shape," Roy said.
