Cade Cunningham of the Detroit Pistons probably won’t win Rookie of the Year this season, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t the best player with the brightest future.
Cunningham started slowly this season which set the narrative in favor of Scottie Barnes and Evan Mobley, whose teams are both in postseason.
All three have had fantastic seasons and I think there is a solid argument for all of them, so I won’t be disappointed if Cade doesn’t win even though I think he is pretty clearly the best all-around player of the three.
His case has started to gain steam since the All-Star break, as Cunningham became only the 6th NBA rookie to average over 20 points, five rebounds and five assists post All-Star break since the league merged.
Recently, ESPN analysts Bobby Marks, Kevin Pelton and Mike Schmitz ranked their top 25 players under 25 (SUBSCRIPTION) and the results show what experts think about Cade Cunningham now and his potential for the future.
Cade Cunningham ranked as the best rookie under 25-years-old
Not only was Cade Cunningham the highest ranked rookie on the list, but there were only five players under 25 that ESPN’s analysts ranked higher.
Cade came in 6th, behind only Luka Doncic, Jayson Tatum, Ja Morant, Trae Young and LaMelo Ball. I would actually put Cade higher than LaMelo simply because he has far more potential as a two-way player, as Ball has yet to show any sign that he will be able to defend.
Cade was ranked ahead of Zion Williamson, who was an All-Star last season, though that has more to do with injury than anything else.
In case you were wondering, Barnes came in 13th on the list and Evan Mobley was 15th, which does seem a bit low to me. They have Mobley ranked just below Tyrese Haliburton, and to be honest, I don’t see it. I’d take Mobley over Haliburton in a heartbeat.
I also don’t see how Jalen Green comes in later than Desmond Bane considering they put up similar numbers and Bane is nearly four years older.
This is the conundrum for Rookie of the Year voters, as I do think most of them would rank Cade as the best player (or at least the one with the most potential), yet he is likely to end up 3rd in the voting.
If Cade Cunningham is top-6 on a list of players under 25, I am not sure how he is only the 3rd-best rookie, but I don’t have a vote.
The ESPN article definitely turned some heads and I am sure there will be plenty of argument about the rankings.