Taking a detailed look at the 2021 NBA Draft's #1 pick, Cade Cunningham: Player profile, skills, and fit with Detroit Pistons
As expected, the Detroit Pistons used their No.1 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft to bring in Oklahoma State Cowboys guard Cade Cunningham.
The 19-year-old was widely touted as the top selection in Thursday night's draw and there was never any doubt that the Pistons would bring him in. Detroit needs talent across the roster to make their way back up the Eastern Conference standings this season and they will certainly hope that Cade Cunningham can help them do that.
In this article, we will take a closer look at Cunningham's game and how he will fit in with the Detroit Pistons franchise.
How will Cade Cunningham's skillset fit in at the Detroit Pistons?
As soon as the Detroit Pistons learned that they would have the No.1 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, they would have been ecstatic. Cade Cunningham is one of the most complete players to come into the league for some time and could be the cornerstone of the organization's future.
All we have to do is look at how recent top picks Luka Doncic and Trae Young are helping to transform their ball club's trajectory. Neither of those players were picked first, however.
From an early age, Cade Cunningham proved that he was going to be a top-3 prospect in his class and possibly an NBA star. After impressing at his first high school in Arlington, Cunningham transferred to Montverde Academy in Florida, whose academics and coaching ranked them No.1 in the country at the time by USA Today.
In his senior year, Cade Cunningham was joined by other first-round draft prospects Scottie Barnes and Day'Ron Sharpe, combining to lead the team to a 25-0 record. Despite receiving numerous Division I offers, he committed to Oklahoma State's program, helped by the fact that they had hired his brother, Cannen, as an assistant coach. In doing so, he became the program's first five-star recruit since Marcus Smart in 2012.
At Oklahoma State, Cade Cunningham averaged 20 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.6 steals while shooting at 40% from deep and 43% from the field. He posted a career-high 40 points in February in a win against Oklahoma and in December last year scored 13 points in 91 seconds to defeat Oral Roberts 83-78. He became only the fourth player ever to win both the Big-12 Player of the Year and Big-12 Freshman of the Year in the same season.
His personal accomplishments went beyond what he achieved in his freshman college campaign, though: he was EYBL MVP, Mr. Basketball USA in 2020, Naismith Prep Player of the Year and a consensus First-Team All-American. Even before his success in High School and College though, Cunningham had led Team USA at the 2019 FIBA U19 World Cup to Gold and was the best player in the medal contests.
Despite Oklahoma State's disappointment in the NCAA championship (losing in the second round), Cade Cunningham was always going to maintain his status as the top selection.
He has everything the Detroit Pistons could want from a guard coming out of the draft. His size (6'8") and strength (225lbs) makes him an elite-level creator on offense who can blow by defenders but also use his length to shoot over them. His vision and ability to create shots for both himself and his teammates will help the Pistons pace and ability to find open looks.
Most important to the Detroit Pistons is Cade Cunningham's shooting. While his distribution and unselfish style of play will see him fit in well in the NBA, he has the potential to be a top-tier scorer at all three levels.
His determination to improve aspects of his shooting game helped cement his position as the No.1 selection in the draft. With Oklahoma State, he had a 64.9% effective field-goal percentage and shot at 85% from the free-throw line. He was also able to work his way past defenders to finish at the rim with a success rate of 62%.
NBA basketball is not only about offense, though, which quite clearly Cade Cunningham will be electric on, it is also about defense. He had a defensive rating of 97 in the 2020-21 season and a defensive box +/- of 3.2. His length is his greatest asset, able to pester opponents driving the lane by grabbing steals and deflections and can also contest shots at the rim. Cunningham's speed also enables him to offer help defense, either at the bucket or on the perimeter.
Overall, the Detroit Pistons can feel very excited about the road ahead with Cade Cunningham leading the team. They can pair him alongside a more true point guard if they don't want him to have all of the ball-handling responsibility and should be able to acquire some knockdown shooters that he can sling the ball out to with the cap space they have made by trading center Mason Plumlee.
The Pistons have high hopes for their 7th pick in last year's draft, Killian Hayes. Although he was only able to play in 26 games this season, averaging 6.8 points and 5.3 assists, his creativity will pair nicely alongside their new recruit while not having to be in the spotlight.
Pairing him with Cade Cunningham seems like the obvious path forward and with developing center Isaiah Stewart and franchise-leading scorer last campaign, Jerami Grant, fans can be very excited about what is to come.
Stewart, in particular, will benefit from Cade Cunningham's arrival. The 6'8" center surprised many by making the All-Rookie team, leading his class in blocks (1.3) and field-goal percentage (55.3%) last year. His already solid defensive ability will be improved by Cunningham's defense, as the new guard can help to guard the perimeter while Stewart stays at the rim. Combined with Hayes' creativity, the pair can also create a lethal pick-and-roll with the 20-year-old big man.
All-in-all, then, the only way is up for the Detroit Pistons this season. They have one of the most complete Draft prospects in Cade Cunningham and will dedicate all of their coaching efforts in helping him to continue his development into a top NBA talent. He has already shown the leadership and clutch shot-making that can allow him to achieve success, now all he has to do is go out and prove it.