The pre-draft process is so often filled with empty-gym shooting, 1-on-0 workouts, polished pro days and most every prospect looking like a lottery pick on social media. But for all the warranted buzz surrounding what could be a historically special 2021 NBA draft, we haven't seen much of Cade Cunningham since he last took the floor March 21 in the NCAA tournament. But just because Cunningham won't be seen jumping 40 inches on Instagram doesn't mean he isn't the clear-cut top prospect in what has been billed as a generational draft.
In 2018, many talent evaluators wondered whether Luka Doncic would simply be a really good starter, as opposed to the all-time great he's on track to become, largely because of his frame and perceived lack of quickness. Even with Cunningham's incredible skill level, maturity and productivity, you get the sense that -- like Luka in 2018 -- not everyone sees him as the type of franchise-changing star he's bound to become.
With that in mind, it's important we shed some light on exactly why Cunningham should absolutely be considered a future star and one of the young faces of the NBA for years to come. The best way to do that is to show you what makes Cunningham -- the NCAA's most efficient isolation scorer -- so difficult to defend, what his go-to moves are and whose NBA moves those most resemble.
1. Step-back series
Reminiscent of: Doncic, Khris Middleton
Cunningham already has the NBA's most devastating move in his arsenal, and he's able to get to his step-back out of a variety of different 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 on a dime, driving his right foot into the hardwood before bouncing out into a midrange pull-up. This is far from foreign to basketball players at any level, but Cunningham's deceleration -- especially combined with his size at 6-foot-8, 225 pounds -- is noteworthy. It's a big reason shot creators, including Middleton and Doncic, are able to get to their pull-ups at will despite not being viewed by some as "traditionally athletic."
As you dive deeper into Cunningham's step-back bag, you'll see his between-the-legs step-back quite frequently. His rhythm and cadence are key here, as he's excellent at rocking his defender to sleep before dribbling through his legs and hopping back into a pull-up 3, which we saw from Middleton all playoffs. Cunningham's balance is tremendous, as is his ability to remain focused with a hand in his face. Like Doncic and Middleton, in winning time when it matters most, he's calm, cool and collected, rarely bothered by aggressive contests. While his between-the-legs step-back usually comes in one fluid motion, he'll also sell the drive by going hard through the legs from his right hand to left, getting the defender leaning before unleashing a more traditional step-back off his right leg like the one we so often see from Doncic.
There's nothing overly flashy about Cunningham's step-back series, but the simple fact that he stops as well as he does at his size, combined with his shooting touch, makes it incredibly difficult to guard and gives him closer potential early on in his NBA career. As we've seen from Doncic, Cunningham is also able to play off that through-the-legs step-back by simply using the move to set up his drives, getting his shoulders lower than his defender's and barreling his way to the rim in either direction. He's not as strong as 240-pound Doncic in the lower body, but he should be able to similarly get to the rim at will thanks to his understanding of how to play angles, use his size and play off the threat of his jumper.
2. Hang pull-up
Reminiscent of: Jayson Tatum, Paul George, Middleton
Cunningham isn't reinventing the wheel here either, but his hang-dribble pull-up is an excellent basis for his entire isolation attack. While this is a staple of so many of the league's top creators, players such as Tatum and George have used this as a table setter for the rest of their isolation attack. Greats such as Tracy McGrady and Jamal Crawford helped popularize the move.
Cunningham doesn't overly exaggerate the hesitation or sell the drive too hard the way 6-8 McGrady did on his hang pulls, but the fact that he can knock these down off of either hand, with sharp footwork, gives him quite a bit of additional upside as a creator. Cunningham is really good at manipulating his defender, forcing him onto his heels before rocking into his shot. The simplicity of his mechanics, along with the fact that he doesn't need to be perfectly squared or balanced to make shots, bodes well for his long-term future.
3. Crossover pull-up
Reminiscent of: George, Middleton
He doesn't use it quite as often as his step-back or hang pull-up, but Cunningham is also comfortable getting to his pull-up via sweeping crossovers, especially in midrange spots. He won't be confused for Allen Iverson with the speed and quickness of his crossover, but he has great pace and rhythm on this move, setting it up beautifully, reading the defender's stance and exploiting his top foot with the crossover. Although Cunningham was too loose with the ball last season, his big hands, solid handle, ability to stop on a dime, and his outstanding footwork on his crossover should translate well to the type of pull-back or snatch-back moves we see from star creators such as Bradley Beal.
Cunningham's crossover cadence has shades of Middleton, who owned the midrange all postseason in part with his ability to get there via crossover. George also gets to his spots inside the arc thanks to his outstanding footwork on sweeping crossovers. Like Middleton, Cunningham should be able to torch pick-and-roll drops with his midrange game (and floater), especially when combined with how much of a threat he is as a passer.
4. Behind-the-back series
Reminiscent of: Jamal Crawford, D'Angelo Russell, Manu Ginobili
Cunningham regularly goes to behind-the-back moves, either with left-to-right wrap dribbles or more of a two-foot stomp behind the back. This allows him to change direction well for a player his size, especially when he has a full head of steam in transition. This is far from a signature move, but it speaks to Cunningham's balance, dexterity and ability to create angles. Crawford, of course, was the king of the behind-the-backs as he danced on opponents for decades with a deep bag of behind-the-back-centric combo moves. The great Ginobili covered a ton of ground with his behind-the-back wraps as well. And although Cunningham is bigger, his pace and utilization of his behind-the-back option does have some shades of Russell if you squint hard enough.
5. Shimmy
Reminiscent of: Jimmy Butler
Aside from the step-back, this is Cunningham's most recognizable move, one popularized by Butler.
"I kind of knew that Cade liked the shimmy going right," said Davion Mitchell, one of the best perimeter defenders in the draft, during our ESPN Film Session. "I watched a lot of film on him before we played. So I was just waiting for it. Even earlier in the game I was waiting for it and I took a charge. I just knew he loved going right."
Anytime he catches the ball inside 15 feet facing the basket, Cunningham wants to get to his right hand using a shimmy move, where he'll hard-jab right, shimmy his shoulders almost like a "Dream Shake," and then attack the rim going to his right. He uses this to get an angle on his defender, then unleashes his strong frame to dislodge opposing wings as you'll see him do to Greg Brown in the clip above. If the defender is able to take away the drive, Cunningham can simply step back into a fallaway jumper. His footwork, strength and touch really come to life here.
6. Fake baseline spin
Reminiscent of: Middleton, Tatum and greats like Michael Jordan/Kobe Bryant
Cunningham is no stranger to right-to-left or left-to-right spin moves when his initial driving lane is taken away. With so many defenders having to play his patented pull-up, Cunningham is able to lull them to sleep before using a well-balanced spin to get a piece of the paint 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 opponents started sitting on the spin, which allowed Cunningham to use the half-spin along the baseline that was popularized by greats including Jordan and Bryant. Cunningham's ability to pull off this move speaks to his court sense and his understanding of how he's being defended in the half court.
7. Jump hooks
Reminiscent of: Most traditional bigs
Whether it's Middleton, Doncic, Tatum, Kawhi Leonard or other elite scorers, it's nothing new to see players in Cunningham's mold kill the midpost, but usually it's with back-shoulder turnarounds, up-and-unders or sweep-throughs to draw fouls. Cunningham has the turnaround in his game, but he also goes to right- and left-handed jump hooks with regularity. This certainly stems from his background as a big man -- his brother, Cannen, was a 6-10 post at SMU. Cade Cunningham's ability to score (and facilitate) out of the post bodes well for his ability to punish smaller guards and operate as a go-to scorer in the half court when necessary.
8. Ambidextrous passer
Reminiscent of: Doncic
What gives Cunningham his Doncic-like upside is the promise he shows as a facilitator, which is largely a product of his vision, length and ambidexterity. Cunningham's ability to pass it off a live dribble with either hand makes him a threat anytime he has the ball in his hands and is a big reason I think he projects as a jumbo playmaker who, like Doncic, can generate the majority of a team's offense.
As you see in the clips above, Cunningham is excellent at threading the needle with football-style passes in the open court. In the half court, he's capable of sneaking the ball through tight windows with his off hand -- finding soft spots in the zone, hitting the roller in stride or hitting the weakside corner, something he's been doing comfortably since high school. On top of the actual act of passing the ball with either hand, his ability to dissect pick-and-roll coverages is high-level, as he's extremely patient waiting for the roll man in ball screens and is strong and accurate enough with his weakside skips.
Cunningham might not have as many truly "special" moments as a passer as 19-year-old Doncic did, but he'll eventually become a triple-double threat when surrounded with NBA talent. We watched the number of assists left on the table last season and the lack of spacing to work with at the collegiate level, and Cunningham is clearly a far better floor general than his assist-to-turnover ratio indicates.
Where does Cunningham rank among former No. 1 picks?
To dispel any lingering notion that Cunningham isn't anything special as far as No. 1 picks are concerned simply because he's not as explosive as a Zion Williamson type, let's take a look at where he stacks up against the past 10 No. 1 picks. Keep in mind, this is in relation to how we felt about the prospects when they were selected first on draft night. With that said, there's clearly a level of revisionist history that creeps in, so this isn't a perfect exercise. Here's 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 were generally higher on LaMelo Ball than Edwards, on Doncic than Ayton and on Brandon Ingram than Simmons, it's fair to say Cunningham is a superior prospect to Edwards, Ayton and Simmons entering draft night. I was as high as anyone on the Washington version of Fultz coming out of college, yet Cunningham is 3 inches taller and far more versatile while still possessing a lot of the same shot creation I loved about Fultz as a prep star. Towns was a great prospect in his own right, but Cunningham's positional attractiveness and two-way potential give him the edge there.
On top of all that, you could certainly make the case that Cunningham is as ready to impact winning as any prospect on the list was, based on what he did first at Montverde and then at Oklahoma State, when he dragged a middle-of-the-road team to the Big 12 title game and NCAA tournament.
Simply put, there's an argument to be made that Cunningham is the third-best top pick we've seen in the past decade, which would lead me to project him as an All-Star in his first two or three years in the NBA and a longtime All-NBA type of player.