The pre-draft process is often filled with empty-gym shootings, 1-on-0 workouts, polished pro days, and every possibility on social media to look like a lottery pick. But for all the much-needed discussion about what might be the historically special 2021 NBA Draft, we haven't seen much of Cade Cunningham since he last took the floor at the NCAA Tournament on March 21. But just because Cunningham won't be seen jumping 40 inches on Instagram doesn't mean he isn't a clear top prospect billed as the draft of a generation.
In 2018, many talent evaluators wondered whether Luka Doncic would actually be a good starter, as he is on track to become the all-time great, mainly due to his frame and perceived lack of quickness. Even with Cunningham's incredible skill level, maturity, and productivity, you get the sense that - like Luca in 2018 - not everyone sees him as the type of franchise-changing star who He is bound to be.
With that in mind, it's important that we shed some light on why Cunningham absolutely deserves to be considered a future star and one of the young faces of the NBA for years to come. The best way to do this is to show you how tough Cunningham - the NCAA's most proficient isolation scorer - is to defend, what his moves are, and what the NBA is like.
Cunningham already has the NBA's most destructive moves in his arsenal, and is able to back his footing with a variety of dribble moves, from virtually anywhere on the floor. Cunningham's most basic step-back is simple - drive hard left, feel the defender on his right hip and stop at a bar, driving his right foot into the hardwood before leaping into a midrange pull-up. It's a far cry from foreign to basketball players at any level, but Cunningham's slowdown — especially combined with his 6-foot-8, 225-pound size — is remarkable. It's a big reason why shot makers, including Middleton and Doncic, are able to achieve their pull-ups despite not being viewed as "traditionally athletic" by some.
As you dive deeper into Cunningham's step-back bag, you'll see her in-between step-backs often. His rhythm and cadence are key here, as he's excellent at rocking his defender to sleep before dribbling through his legs and coming back in pull-up 3, which we saw from Middleton in all the playoffs. Cunningham's balance is terrific, as well as his ability to stay focused with his hand on his face. Like Doncic and Middleton, winning times when it matters most, he is calm, calm and collected, rarely bothered by aggressive contests. While his in-between step-back usually comes in a fluid motion, he will sell the drive hard through the legs with his right hand, bending the defender before removing a more traditional step-back. . His right leg is similar to what we often see from Doncic.
There's nothing more appealing about Cunningham's step-back series, but the simple fact that he stoops to his size, along with his shooting touch, makes it incredibly difficult to keep safe and he The beginning of his NBA career gives close potential. As we've seen from Doncic, Cunningham was able to play that through-the-leg step-back by using moves to set up his drive, lowering his shoulders than his defender, and pausing his way into the rim. Is. in any direction. He's not as strong in the lower body as 240-pound Doncic, but he should likewise be able to reach the rim thanks to his understanding of how to play angles, use his size and overcome his jumper hazards.
Cunningham isn't reinventing the wheel here, but his hang-dribble pull-up is an excellent base for his perfect isolation attack. Although it is a staple of many of the league's top creators, players such as Tatum and George have used it as the table setter for the rest of their isolation attack. Greats like Tracy McGrady and Jamal Crawford helped popularize the move.
Cunningham doesn't exaggerate hesitation or sell drives too hard the way 6-8 McGrady did on his hang bridge, but the fact that he can knock these two down with quick footwork , gives him quite a bit of extra upside as a producer. Cunningham is really good at sparring with his defender, forcing him to his heels before rocking in his shot. The simplicity of his mechanics, combined with the fact that he doesn't need to be perfectly square or balanced to make a shot, bodes well for his long-term future.
He doesn't use it as often as his step-back or hang pull-up, but Cunningham is also comfortable reaching his pull-ups via sweeping crossovers, especially in the midrange spot. He will not be confused for Alan Iverson with his crossover speed and quickness, but he has great speed and rhythm on the move, setting it up beautifully, reading the defender's stance and exploiting his top foot with the crossover. do. Although Cunningham was very loose with the ball last season, his large hands, solid handles, ability to stop once in a while, and his excellent footwork on his crossovers were well suited for pull-back or snatch-back moves. should be translated. Star producers like Bradley Beal.
Cunningham's crossover cadence has shades of Middleton, who with his ability to get there via crossover was a master of midrange all postseason. George also gets his place inside the arc thanks to his excellent footwork on wide crossovers. Like Middleton, Cunningham should be able to torch pick-and-roll drops with his midrange game (and floaters), especially when considering how dangerous he is as a passer.
Cunningham regularly performs back-to-back moves, either with a left-to-right wrap dribble or a two-foot stomp behind the back. This allows him to change direction nicely for a player of his size, especially when he has a full head of steam in transition. It's far from a signature move, but it speaks volumes about Cunningham's balance, dexterity and ability to angle. Crawford, of course, was the king of the back-the-back as he danced behind-the-back at opponents for decades with a deep bag of back-focused combo moves. The Great Ginobili also covered a ton of ground with his back-the-back raps. And although Cunningham is big, his use of pace and choice behind him has some color to Russell if you try hard enough.
Apart from the step-back, this is Cunningham's most recognizable move, made popular by Butler.
"I knew Cade liked to go shimmy right," said Davian Mitchell, one of the best perimeter defenders in the draft, during our ESPN filming session. "I watched a lot of the movie on him before I played. So I was just waiting for it. Earlier in the game I was looking forward to it and I took a charge. I just knew he liked to go right."
Whenever he catches the ball within 15 feet of it facing the basket, Cunningham uses an embarrassing move to reach his right hand, where he will hit the right side hard, shoving his shoulders almost like a "dream shake". Will shake and then attack the rim going to his right. He uses it to get an angle on his defender, then opens his sturdy frame to remove opposing wings as you'll see him doing with Greg Brown in the clip above. If the defender is able to overcome the drive, Cunningham can simply step back in a fallaway jumper. His footwork, strength and touch really come alive here.
Cunningham is no stranger to right-to-left or left-to-right spin tricks when his initial driving lane is removed. With so many defenders playing his patent pull-up, Cunningham uses a well-balanced spin to get a piece of paint before he is able to put them to sleep and eventually earn a trip to the free throw line, which he did 6.5 times per 40 minutes as a freshman. That reality meant that opponents began to sit on spin, which allowed Cunningham to use half-spin along the baseline, which was popularized by greats including Jordan and Bryant. Cunningham's ability to pursue this move speaks volumes of his court sense and his understanding of how he is being defended at half court.
Whether it's Middleton, Doncic, Tatum, Kawhi Leonard or other elite scorers, it's nothing new to see players in the Cunningham mold hitting the midpost, but it's usually a back-shoulder turnaround, up-and-under, or sweep- Used to attract fouls with throughs. Cunningham's game has changed, but he also moves to the right- and left-handed jump hooks with regularity. It certainly stems from his background as a grown man - his brother, Canen, was a 6-10 ranker at SMU. Cade Cunningham's ability to score (and facilitate) off the post bodes well for his ability to punish short guards and serve as the go-to scorer on the half court when the need arises.
His Doncic-like upside to Cunningham is the promise he shows as a facilitator, largely a product of his vision, length and obscurity. Cunningham's ability to pass a live dribble with either hand makes him prone to having the ball in his hands at any time and is a big reason I think he projects as a jumbo playmaker, which Doncic Like, most of the team offense can generate .
As you can see in the clip above, Cunningham is excellent at threading the needle with football-style passes on the open court. On the half court, he is able to penetrate the ball through tight windows with his off hand – finding soft spots in the zone, hitting the roller in a stride or hitting a weak corner, something he has been comfortable doing since high school. Used to be. On top of the actual act of passing the ball with both hands, his ability to dissect pick-and-roll coverage is high-level, as he is extremely patient waiting for the roll man in the ball screen and with his weak side. Leaves quite strong and accurate
Cunningham may not have as many "special" moments as a passerby as the 19-year-old Doncic had, but he will eventually become a triple-double threat when surrounded by NBA talent. We saw the number of assists left on the table last season and the lack of vacancy to work at the collegiate level, and Cunningham is clearly a far better floor general than his assist-to-turnover ratio.
Where does Cunningham rank in the former No. 1?
To dispel the notion that Cunningham is nothing special as far as No. 1 picks are concerned, as he's not as explosive as Zion Williamson, let's take a look at what he's been up against in the last 10 No. 1 picks. Where does it stand . Keep in mind, this is in relation to how we felt about the prospects when we were first selected on draft night. With that said, there is clearly a level of revisionist history that creeps in, so it's not a perfect practice. Here is a list by year:
2020: Anthony Edwards
2019: Zion Williamson
2018: Deandre Ayton
2017: Markelle Fultz
2016: Ben Simmons
2015: Karl-Anthony Towns
2014: Andrew Wiggins
2013: Anthony Bennett
2012: Anthony Davis
2011: Kyrie Irving
Looking at that list, the only prospects I would absolutely rank ahead of Cunningham at the time of the draft are Zion and Davis. You could certainly make an argument for Irving, given his incredible skill level, yet the 11-game season at Duke raised enough doubts to be the difference-maker there.
Given that we generally had more on LaMello Ball than Edwards, Doncic more than Ayton, and Brandon Ingram than Simmons, it's fair to say that Cunningham entered draft night for Edwards, Ayton and Simmons. There is a better chance of doing it. I was just as tall as anyone in the Washington version of Fultz coming out of college, yet Cunningham is 3 inches taller and far more versatile, while still having a lot of the same shot construction that makes me think of Fultz as a prep star. as liked. Towns was a huge prospect in his own right, but Cunningham's positional charm and two-way ability gave him the lead there.
Above all, you can certainly make the case that Cunningham is as prepared to impress a win as anyone else on the list, based on what he did first at Montverde and then at Oklahoma State, when he A middle-of-the-road team to the Big 12 title game and the NCAA Tournament dragged on.
Simply put, it could be argued that Cunningham is the third-best Top Pick we've seen in the past decade, which gives me the opportunity to project my first two or three years in the NBA as an All-Star. will inspire. A longtime All-NBA type player.