Height: 6 Feet 8 Inches
Weight: 220 Pounds
Wingspan: 7 Feet
League: NCAA
Draft Age: 19.73
Draft Projection: 1st Overall
Cade Cunningham came into this season as the favorite to be drafted first overall in the 2021 NBA Draft, and he has proven that he was very deserving of the preseason hype. Cunningham had a phenomenal freshman season, dragging Oklahoma State to the second round of the NCAA tournament with very little talent around him.
Cunningham has shown that he can win at the high school and collegiate level, and there is no reason to believe he won’t do the same as a professional.
Standing at a massive 6-foot-8, Cunningham has phenomenal size at the point guard position. His size will be a massive plus for him, in that nearly every matchup at the one he will have a huge size advantage and that he can defend and play the one through three.
His size does not limit his abilities as a guard, though, as Cade is a brilliant passer and floor general. His assist numbers might not look incredible on paper, but this makes sense considering Oklahoma State shot just 41 percent from the field and 32 percent from deep in 2020-2021.
Cunningham’s offensive game is deadly as well, as he can use his 6-foot-8 inch frame to score from all three levels over a multitude of defenders. The development of his three-point shot is also something to be very excited about, as the nineteen-year-old shot a blistering 40 percent from deep on almost six attempts per contest. Though not a ridiculous athlete, Cunningham has also found ways to score in the lane and around the rim.
On the defensive end, his size alone provides for great potential. He has the frame to potentially put on a good amount of muscle after a few years in an NBA weight room, and could potentially turn into a lethal two-way player. Overall, there aren’t really any holes in Cunningham’s game. He should come into the NBA ready to contribute in a big way and is a virtual lock to be the first player drafted in 2021. It would be shocking to see Cunningham turn out to be anything but one of the NBA’s top players in a few years.