NBA Draft: What to know about Cade Cunningham, likely No. 1 pick for Pistons

The Detroit Pistons won the NBA Draft Lottery on Tuesday night, landing the franchise its first No. 1 pick since 1970, when the Pistons drafted Hall of Famer Bob Lanier.

Now, more than 50 years later, the Pistons will look to add another franchise-changing player to their roster -- and that is more than likely going to be Oklahoma State guard Cade Cunningham.

In fact, as ESPN’s Woj reported after the lottery, Cunningham is only going to visit the Pistons, as it stands. It would be a shocker if he somehow didn’t get drafted at the top.

The NBA Draft is July 29. Cunningham will likely become a Detroit Piston that night, joining an already promising group of young players, including two All NBA Rookie Team picks in Saddiq Bey and Isaiah Stewart.

Here’s what else you need to know about Cade Cunningham, the potential future star of the Detroit Pistons:

Meet Cade Cunningham

If you watched any college basketball last year, you already know Cade Cunningham. He was the best player on the floor in every game.

Cunningham, who will be 20 when the NBA season starts this fall, is from Arlington, Texas. He’s a 6′8″ point guard who averaged 20 points per game and shot 40% from the three point line in his one year with Oklahoma State last season.

Cunningham is only the fourth Big 12 player to win Big 12 Player of the Year and Big 12 Freshman of the Year, joining Kevin Durant (maybe you’ve heard of him), Marcus Smart and Michael Beasley.

Cunningham led the U.S. team to gold in the 2019 FIBA Under-19 World Cup, leading all scorers in the championship game with 21 points, 7 assists and 7 rebounds.

How would Cunningham fit with Pistons?

This is easy. Cunningham will fit perfectly with any team -- he’s that good. You just figure it out.

Most likely, the Pistons would operate with two point guards on the floor, which is becoming more and more common (see the Sacramento Kings).

So the future starting lineup could be: Killian Hayes, Cade Cunningham, Saddiq Bey, Jerami Grant and Isaiah Stewart -- or something along these lines.

Having two versatile point guards, both taller than 6′5″, on the floor on the same time -- good luck planning that defense.

Is there any chance the Pistons will pick someone else?

I’d never say there’s a 0% chance of this, because you just never know. But it would be a shock. Outside of a major injury or something crazy happening off the court, you can safely assume Cade Cunningham will be rocking a Pistons jersey come next fall.

The Pistons went 1-9 down the stretch, locking in top odds. It doesn’t always work -- but this time it did.

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