The Detroit Pistons are likely to choose Cade Cunningham with the number one overall pick in the NBA Draft and if you watch his highlights, you’ll see why.
Cunningham is a guy who most often gets compared to Luke Doncic because of his size, ability to score from all three levels and make plays for his teammates in a number of ways.
Cunningham is a better defender and long-range shooter, but Luka is definitely stronger and better in the post, though those are things that Cunningham can and will improve upon.
Here are some highlights that show how Cunningham will make an immediate impact for the Detroit Pistons.
We’ll take a look at some of his offensive strengths, what he does well on defense, and then the intangibles that could make him a superstar.
Detroit Pistons: Cade Cunningham’s offensive highlights show a smart player who can make reads and score from anywhere.
The first thing that stood out in this film session with Mike Schmitz (I highly recommend these if you haven’t seen them) is just how well Cunningham knows the game.
This kid is wise beyond his years and really knows his stuff, which comes through on the court. He studies film and had already seen and analyzed a lot of the highlights Schmitz uses.
Schmitz believes Cunningham’s best skill his ability to make the right reads that lead to good passes. Here he is in high school, pushing the pace, looking off the defender and then making the correct read to the corner.
Here he is talking about how he allows the defense to dictate the play. Does this sound like a teenager to you? There are NBA veterans who couldn’t break down film like this. The NBA should be scared.
We all know that Cunningham can score from all three levels. He also runs the pick-and-roll as well as any college player I’ve ever seen.
He reads the defense so quickly that it’s almost like everyone else is in slow motion. If the defense tries to go under the pick, he just takes the 3-point shot, which he hits at over 40 percent. If they try to come over he can beat defenders off the dribble and score in the mid-range or get all the way to the hoop.
Here he is breaking down how an earlier read out of the pick-and-roll caused the defense to adjust, and when they did, he used a slick hesitation move to get all the way to the rim. I love Cunningham’s poise, as he never gets rattled even though defenses were focused on him and throwing everything at him.
There is so much about Cunningham’s offensive game to like, especially considering he’ll be playing with much better players and shooters who will be able to take advantage of his elite passing and playmaking even more than his high school and college teammates.
But Cade Cunningham is no slouch on defense either.