Detroit Pistons: Cade Cunningham is the clear choice at No. 1 overall
By Bob Heyrman
Well, just days after winning the NBA Draft Lottery, the Detroit Pistons will have their pick of the litter come July 29th, and the rumor mill is starting to heat up.
Many, including James Edwards of The Athletic (paid subscription), continue to remind everyone that the Detroit Pistons adore Jalen Green of the Ignite G-League team. Edwards continued to say Green projects as an elite-like scorer, which is certainly something the Detroit Pistons need.
If James is reporting that Detroit has interest elsewhere, we need to listen. Edwards mentioned in addition to Green, Pistons’ general manager (GM) Troy Weaver is also fascinated with center Evan Mobley, and all three prospects will be considered at No. 1 overall.
Here are my two cents.
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The Detroit Pistons will make Cade Cunningham the first overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.
Oklahoma State’s Cade Cunningham is widely considered to be the consensus top overall choice in the 2021 NBA Draft.
Certainly, both Green and Mobley are tremendous talents, and both will be lottery selections. The Detroit Pistons certainly had an interest in both players, and if they would have gotten the second overall pick rather than the top selection, we’d be debating which of the two Weaver should select for a month.
Mobley is a scoring 7-footer with elite ball skills and a plus defender, which comes at a premium in today’s NBA.
There is truth to those rumors stating that the Pistons organization is interested in Green, and Mobley but things changed the second Detroit won the lottery.
The Detroit Pistons draft room erupted the second it was announced that the organization won the lottery. Sure, it’s an exciting thing, but it’s also exciting knowing that you will be able to secure the top player in the draft, and that is Cunningham.
Cunningham averaged 20.1 points, 6.2 boards, and 3.5 assists, along with shooting a stellar 40% from beyond the arc last season. His skill-set fits perfectly to operate in Detroit’s backcourt alongside Killian Hayes. Either guard can facilitate the offense, and both are fine as off-ball guards. However, I prefer to see Hayes as a playmaker and Cunningham working in iso as a shot creator.
Cunningham mentioned that he’d only visit one team for a workout, the team who wins the lottery.
Surely when the ultra-talented 6-foot-8 guard visits Detroit, Weaver, and head coach Dwane Casey and the Pistons brass will look no further and be prepared to make Cunningham the organization’s first overall pick since Bob Lanier was back in 1970.
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I can’t wait to see how this shakes out in the coming weeks leading up to the draft.