The Detroit Pistons made it official last week, selecting Oklahoma State guard Cade Cunningham with the 1st overall selection in the 2021 NBA Draft. And he arrives in the Motor City with much fanfare as the team continues to take steps in their rebuilding process to once again gain their place in the upper echelon of the NBA.
Cunningham, who averaged 20.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists and hit 40% of his 5.7 3-point attempts per game during his one season with Oklahoma State, spoke earlier about the importance of getting on the court with his new teammates as he prepares to play in the NBA Summer League.
“It felt good to get back on the court,” he said. “My predraft was a little bit different from others, I haven’t been around teammates and been able to play five-on-five. Getting back out there and getting the feel again, it was fun.”
Cunningham will be joining forces in Detroit with the likes of 2nd year Killian Hayes, who was Detroit’s 1st overall pick last season but who saw limited action in his rookie year due to injury.
“I think me stepping in will help Killian a lot, and I think Killian will help me a whole lot,” he said. “We’ll take a lot of pressure off of each other, and both of us are capable of being primary ball-handlers, and both of us are capable of playing off the ball and making things happen off the ball. I feel like it will be a good mix. I feel like it’ll bring a lot of versatility to our backcourt. We’re both big, we’re both strong and we’re both playing under control. It’ll be a different look for a backcourt and I think we’ll be successful.”
– – Quotes via Freep Sports Link – –
