Projecting Where Cade Cunningham Will Be Selected After 2021 NBA Draft Lottery

Garett Fisbeck/Associated Press

The Detroit Pistons won two things during Tuesday’s NBA draft lottery.

The right to pick first in the upcoming draft.

And the right to pick Cade Cunningham.

The thought here is the Oklahoma State guard will go No. 1 overall when the 2021 draft arrives on July 29. After all, the 6’8″ playmaker fits the bill as someone who can develop into a franchise cornerstone for years to come at the NBA level with his ability to score, defend, hit from the outside and facilitate for others.

Cunningham spent just one season with the Cowboys but made the most of it as the Big 12 Player of the Year and Big 12 Freshman of the Year. He was also named a consensus All-American and was a primary reason Oklahoma State reached the Big 12 tournament championship game and the second round of the NCAA men’s tournament.

The 19-year-old averaged 20.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.6 steals per game while shooting 43.8 percent from the field and 40.0 percent from three-point range.

Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman projected Cunningham as the best primary ball-handler in the draft and pointed to his overall playmaking skills that overshadow his assist numbers during his one season in college:

“At 6’8″, 220 pounds, Cade Cunningham isn’t a traditional point guard. But he’s too advanced on the ball to play him off of it. Offense needs to run through his creation, playmaking and shot-making skill, the way it does through Luka Doncic. Aside from being the best isolation scorer in the class (87th percentile), Cunningham is an outstanding passer who controls pace.”

That type of profile would fit on any NBA team, as he can either handle the ball or play off it, contribute as a scorer or facilitator, and quickly develop into a go-to option. 

Look for Cunningham to immediately become the face of the franchise after the Pistons take him with the No. 1 pick.