NBA prospect Cade Cunningham: ‘Detroit fits me,’ and why he loves the city

There are just three days left before NBA commissioner Adam Silver announces who the Detroit Pistons will select with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 Draft. Time will show if the Pistons take consensus top pick Cade Cunningham or if general manager Troy Weaver brokers a deal worthy of the No. 1 pick.

If the Pistons take Cunningham on Thursday, the Oklahoma State guard has already started to build a connection to the city of Detroit.

The Arlington, Texas native has already immersed himself in some of the culture of Detroit, including some of the city’s rappers like Sada Baby, 42 Dugg and Babyface Ray. He also threw it back to the past with the Temptations and added that he would have to look at his phone for more of the local musicians he listens to.

“I love Detroit,” Cunningham said. “I’ve already been listening to Detroit music and things like that, way before the draft lottery, any of that stuff. I was already hip to the culture in Detroit. It’s a city that has a lot of things going on, and I feel like getting the sports team rolling again would be huge for the city.

“Detroit fits me, that’s the main thing I’m going to try to do is step in and embody the swag that people from Detroit walk with, the people from Michigan in general. They have an underdog, go-get-what-you-want feel to them and I like that about the city. So if I am able to go in there and be the No. 1 pick, I’m going to try to carry that same swag, in how I walk on the court and make the most out of it and wear the red, white and blue, for sure.”

He’s gotten the chance to experience some of it firsthand within the last week. Six days ago, Cunningham traveled to Detroit for his predraft workout with the Pistons. Following the NBA Draft Lottery last month, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Cunningham would only work out with the Pistons since the team held the top pick.

“I wanted to meet with the team with the No. 1 pick and I feel like I’m the No. 1 pick,” Cunningham said during a media availability via video call Friday. “I met with Detroit, they’re the ones that had the pick.”

At 19, Cunningham has shown NBA readiness on both sides of the floor. The 6-8 guard averaged 20.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists in his lone season with the Cowboys. He averaged 1.6 steals per game, showing alertness in the passing lanes.

With the Pistons restoring the franchise to contention, Cunningham would add more versatility, which is something the organization covets in its players. On Friday, Cunningham said he learned a lot about the Pistons organization.

“I took a lot away from it,” Cunningham said. “The organization has a lot of great people within it. I mean, starting from the owners, Troy Weaver is a great GM, and then you know all the way down.”

He added that he would be excited if the Pistons selected him on Thursday and that he thought the team was in a restoration period. He also pointed out that the Pistons have a lot of great things going for them including the selection of Saddiq Bey and Isaiah Stewart to the NBA’s All-Rookie Teams last month.

“I saw Isaiah Stewart and Saddiq Bey were both All-Rookie team,” he said. “I feel like that’s a direct correlation of what that staff is doing with their players and the amount of time they put into development. So I mean that’s a good indication in itself, that’s something I like to see and both of those guys are rookies. So, young core, things are going well for them. Obviously, they didn’t have the season that they wanted last year but that’s a lot of things to build off of.”

The city of Detroit is already embracing him, too. During his visit, he got the chance to watch the Detroit Tigers shut out his hometown Texas Rangers 14-0. As Comerica Park, after fans learned of Cunningham’s presence at the ballpark, they chanted “We want Cade!”

“Yeah, that was cool,” Cunningham said. “I know they showed a lot of love throughout and when I was walking through the city, walking through the stadium, things like that, it’s a lot of love. That type of stuff means a lot anytime they show love.

“I remember dreaming of being the top guy and now, to be honest, and I’m all the way out in Detroit and people talking about, ‘We want Cade’ and things like that, it’s surreal for me. So, I know I played a lot of big games and things like that, that type of stuff still kind of gives me the chills and I’m still super appreciative.”