To get a superstar in the NBA Draft a team has to get lucky more than once. Not only does the team have to land the number one pick, but do it in a year when there is an obvious superstar to draft. The Detroit Pistons are hoping this is exactly what happened this year with Cade Cunningham.
Cunningham is a 6-foot-8 point guard who can score from all over, defend and has all of the intangibles to be a superstar in the NBA.
Cunningham has been compared to everyone from Penny Hardaway to Grant Hill, and it makes sense, as he has the size and skill set to be a similar talent.
The Cunningham hype train is real, but where does it stand compared to some of the other number one campaigns we’ve seen over recent years?
I went back to 2010 to rank every number one pick. These rankings are based on the prospects play entering the NBA and the amount of hype they received, not necessarily how their careers turned out.
So where does Cade Cunningham stand among recent number one picks?
NBA Draft: Ranking number one picks: 12-11
#12-Anthony Bennett, 2013
Anthony Bennett is known as one of the biggest draft busts of all time, so it’s not surprising to find him last on this list. Bennett came out in a year without a consensus number one but no one thought it would be him. He had no hype, and the pick was immediately questioned. This was the worst draft of the decade by far and it shows with Bennett as the top pick.
#11-Markelle Fultz, 2017
One of a couple Philadelphia entries on the list, Fultz was another questionable #1 pick, as many thought Lonzo Ball or Jayson Tatum should be the top choice. It turns out the Celtics knew what they were doing as they got by far the best of the three, as Lonzo Ball is just ok and Fultz has barely played and is trying to overcome an extremely broken shot on his second team. The Process, folks!
NBA Draft: Ranking number one picks: 10-8
#10-Anthony Edwards, 2020
Anthony Edwards is another guy who came out in a year without a consensus number one pick, and though he had a very good rookie season, it is still questionable, as LaMelo Ball was better. Edwards’ hype train was mostly derailed by the Ball media machine but I do think he’ll ultimately be the better player.
#9- Deandre Ayton, 2018
Deandre Ayton has rounded into a very good player and is one of the big reasons the Suns are currently in the Finals, but at the time, this pick was questionable. Everyone thought Ayton would be good but there was a ceiling on him that didn’t exist on guys like Luka Doncic and Trae Young. People forget that Ayton had less hype than Bagley III coming out of college.
#8- Andrew Wiggins, 2014
Andrew Wiggins was one of many number one picks who was being compared to LeBron James in an era when we thought that he was a prototype and not a one-off GOAT. Wiggins had a huge amount of hype coming into the NBA, but there was still a big argument between him and Jabari Parker, who turned out to be a big bust. Embiid was the best player in this draft and probably the only correct choice the 76ers managed to make. This is Cleveland’s second entry on the list, and though Wiggins never turned into a superstar, he helped them land LeBron James.
NBA Draft: Ranking number one picks: 7-5
#7-Karl-Anthony Towns, 2015
This was another NBA Draft that is funny to look back on, as there was a huge argument between KAT and Jahlil Okafor as the number one pick. It was a crossroads for big men in the NBA, as KAT represented the stretch-fives of the future while Okafor the post bigs of the past. Towns has mostly lived up to the hype individually though he hasn’t won much. This would become known as the draft where the Pistons passed on Devin Booker for Stanley Johnson. Ouch.
#6-John Wall, 2010
The earliest entry on this list, John Wall came out during the Kentucky hype bonanza where it seemed like just about all of the best players were coming out of one or two schools. Wall was the consensus number one though there were some people who liked Evan Turner (ahahahah) or Wall’s teammate Boogie Cousins. Just as a side note, the Pistons passed on Paul George and took Greg Monroe in this one. Ouch again.
#5- Kyrie Irving, 2011
Kyrie is one of the most interesting entires, as him being the choice as number one was based almost entirely on myth and hype. Remember Kyrie got hurt in college and barely played, so his choice was based largely on things he did in high school and a few games of the NCAA tournament. The 2011 NBA Draft is one of the best on this list and produced a ton of great players. The Detroit Pistons chose Brandon Knight just ahead of Kemba Walker, Klay Thompson and Kawhi Leonard. OUCH!!!
NBA Draft: Ranking number one picks: 4-2
#4- Ben Simmons, 2016
It might be hard to believe now, but Ben Simmons was one of the most hyped number one picks over the last decade. People were calling him the next LeBron, a point guard in a power forward’s body who could score from all three levels and guard everyone. It turns out that was only partially true, as Simmons is one of the best defenders in the NBA, but can’t shoot (though he shoots similar percentages as Josh Jackson). Simmons might not have become the next LeBron, but he is pretty good and the hype behind him as the number one pick was huge.
#3- Cade Cunningham, 2021
You might think this is a bit high but I think the hype for Cade Cunningham is as big as nearly anyone on this list. He is a consensus number one choice regardless of what some Houston media might think, and a guy most people think is almost guaranteed to be a star in the NBA. He was given center stage in the NCAA tournament, and though he came up short, every scout in the NBA was watching and drooling. He is a player who can do it all on both ends, doesn’t have a huge weakness and is rightfully being hyped as one of the best prospects of this decade. There were huge question marks about most of these other guys, but ESPN scout Mike Schmitz called Cunningham “The most complete prospect I have ever evaluated.”
Cunningham said he was “very excited” to join the Pistons and i think I speak for most fans when I say the feeling is more than mutual.
#2- Anthony Davis, 2012
The “Brow” was just a skinny center coming out of Kentucky but everyone knew he was going to be a star and the number one pick in the NBA Draft. He was already an elite defender coming out of college and there really wasn’t ever a thought that someone else might be drafted with the top pick. Michael Kidd-Gilcrest (AD’s teammate at Kentucky) went number two but this was one of the biggest gaps between the top two picks in the entire decade, as Davis was billed as a superstar and was the consensus choice.
There’s only one guy who had more hype coming into the NBA Draft.
#1- Zion Williamson, 2019
I think the two most hyped prospects in my lifetime were LeBron James and Zion Williamson and it’s not really close. It’s rare enough to get a consensus guy, much less a guy everyone agrees will be a star and even rarer to get a guy everyone agrees will be a generational superstar who could change the game of basketball.
LeBron was one of them and Zion is the other. Zion’s hype came partially because he is a big man who does guard things, manages to fly though the air and had some of the most electrifying dunks in college history.
President Obama came to his games, as did everyone else, as Zion was the top show in town and there was never a question that he would be the number one pick. Even suggesting it could be someone else would get you laughed out of the room at the time, so Zion Williamson is the only choice when ranking number one picks from the last decade.
It turns out the hype was mostly right, as the guys who were rated the highest also turned out to be the best players. Let’s hope Cade Cunningham lives up to and exceeds the massive hype he is getting and becomes the best player on this list.