The majority of analysts and franchises agree Cade Cunningham is the definitive top draft pick. When the OKC Thunder fully invested in the tank mid-season, Sam Presti had a laser focus on winning the top draft pick in order to land Cunningham.
There are a handful of prospects projected to become future All-Stars and who could also expedite a team’s timeline. But make no mistake the Oklahoma State guard is the big prize.
Whispers that Troy Weaver and the Pistons might be willing to trade down or swap picks reinvigorated the Thunder fanbase. As Intentions outlined recently the sixth pick or packaging all three first-round picks aren’t likely to move the bar. However, with 38 picks to use in negotiations Sam Presti has much more draft capital than any other team to tempt his former colleague with.
That factor alone keeps the OKC Thunder in the mix and no doubt will keep Presti and his team busy as they attempt to make that wish a reality.
OKC Thunder draft prospect profile for Cade Cunningham:
Specifics:
- Height: 6’8″
- Weight: 220 pounds
- Wingspan: 7′
- Position: Guard
- Birthdate/Age: September 25, 2001, 19 years
- College: Oklahoma State, freshman
- Stat line: 20.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.6 steals
- Home Town: Arlington, Texas
Box Score Statistics:
Provided by CBB at Sports Reference: View Original Table
Generated 7/9/2021.
Current Ranking:
As noted, Cunningham is deemed the top pick by most analysts regardless of whether the Pistons and Rockets would prefer Jaylen Green. The bottom line is no front office executive (even Weaver) won’t select him if they are making the first pick.
- The Ringer: 1st
- NBA DraftNet:1st
- ESPN: 1st
- CBS Sports: 1st
- NBA: 1st
- Sports Illustrated: 1st
- Bleacher Report: 1st
- FanSided The Step Back: 1st
With that let’s dive a little deeper into Cunningham to determine his strengths and weaknesses.
Cade Cunningham strengths and weaknesses
Strengths:
There is a very good reason Cade Cunningham began the season ranked first and remained in that position throughout the NCAA season. Put simply he’s about the most complete player to come out of the draft in quite some time.
Consider how franchises drooled over Ben Simmons and Luka Doncic based on their size and playmaking ability. Cunningham has the same ability with some noted differences.
Unlike Simmons, he is an adept scorer with range who shot 40 percent from the perimeter. He enters the NBA as a far better defender than Doncic was coming to the pros but unlikely to be as dominant offensively.
That’s not to say Cunningham isn’t capable of being the primary offensive weapon on a team. Rather, his game is better suited to capitalizing on his overall skillset. When players move from star status into superstar territory the primary caveat is when the player is making everyone around them better.
That’s why Cunningham is so appealing because he already possesses all the skills to accomplish that feat. In fact, it’s conceivable he’ll witness greater assists totals in the pros given his ability to read the game and high-end mastery of playmaking.
Likewise, he demonstrated scoring prowess from all areas of the floor with no discernible weaknesses in shot types. He carried the offense in Oklahoma State dictating the pace of the game and perhaps most impressively didn’t shy away from taking over in clutch time.
Weaknesses:
Certainly, there are areas for Cunningham to improve but quite frankly it’s like looking for a needle in a haystack. For example, his four turnovers per game are far from ideal. However, consider the team he played with and that partially answers why that number is so high.
All the defensive opponent pressure was on him so many of his turnovers occurred based on him trying to force a pass or getting double/triple teamed.
I’d consider him a more cerebral than athletic player which could pose some issues when he functions in the paint against pros with athleticism and size.
Like virtually every rookie, he’ll need to improve defensively and that lack of foot speed could pose some issues when he faces speedy guards although his size and I.Q. could offset the negatives.
Pro Comparison:
Kevin O’Connor of the Ringer lists OKC Thunder cornerstone SGA calling Cunningham a “Supersized Shai Gilgeous-Alexander”. KOC also taps Ben Simmons noting he’s shorter than the 76ers guard and highlights the obvious (he has a jump shot).
Others have suggested Jayson Tatum and Luka Doncic as players Cunningham resembles.
I think he possesses similarities to the above quartet but his ability to dominate all areas of the game put him in a category of his own. Unlike Tatum, Doncic, and SGA who quickly became their team’s primary scoring option, I think Cunningham is more likely to be best suited in the secondary position (not that he won’t grow into that primary role).
When we think of players like LeBron James and Nikola Jokic although they are capable of that primary scoring role both excel because of their ability to dissect defenses and put their teammates in the best position to succeed. I believe that’s where Cunningham will eventually be at his best.
OKC Thunder fit:
Part of the reason why Cade Cunningham is considered the definitive top draft prospect is there isn’t one team in the association he couldn’t fit with. He will immediately improve whatever team he ends up drafted by.
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With that obvious fact, there are some teams he’ll have a greater impact on both in the short and long term with the OKC Thunder clearly in that group. The hope is Sam Presti figures out a deal or series of deals to navigate his way into a position to draft the youngster.
His size and ability would be the perfect complement to the positionless style Mark Daigneault employs with the Thunder. Part of the disappointment of not getting the top draft pick in the lottery is so many of us already had visions of the SGA – Cunningham backcourt and just how lethal their combination of length and skills would’ve reaped on the league.
Here’s hoping Presti still has tricks up his magician’s sleeve because Cunningham wouldn’t just be the perfect addition to OKC he’d accelerate the club’s return to prominence.