NOT IN HIS PLAN
Presumptive first pick overall says he’s not planning to meet with Rockets
Cunningham focused on being No. 1 pick, not on Houston at No. 2.
If the Detroit Pistons had hoped to build suspense — or even a market for their coveted No. 1 pick — on the way to the NBA draft, Cade Cunningham on Friday might have revealed what the team on the clock is thinking.
The presumptive No. 1 pick has been to Detroit, visited with the Pistons’ decision-makers, heard his name sung to him at Comerica Park. He had seen enough and had enough savvy to declare where he stands, even if the Pistons have not.
“I love Detroit,” the 19-year-old from Oklahoma State said. “I’ve already been listening to Detroit music, way before the draft lottery. I was already hip to Detroit culture. It’s a city that has a lot of things going on and I feel like getting a sports team rolling again would be huge for the city. That’s the main thing I’m going to try to do: step in and embody the swag people from Detroit walk with and people from Michigan in general.”
If that does not make his expectations for Thursday’s draft clear enough, Cunningham said he has no intentions of meeting with the Rockets, as long as they hold the second rather than the first pick.
“I wanted to meet with the team that has the No. 1 pick because I feel like I’m the No. 1 pick,” Cunningham said. “I met with Detroit. They’re the ones that have the pick. If the Rockets go get the No. 1 pick, then maybe I’ll meet with them if there’s enough time. I’m happy to see where I go.”
Cunningham did not display any reservations about potentially being selected by the Rockets, provided he went first. As with many of the top prospects that met with media in Zoom sessions, he cited the young Rockets players that are the foundation of the first stages of a rebuild.
“I feel like having young pieces that you can build with and build on is important,” Cunningham said. “Houston is a team that has a lot of things they’re trying to get back to. I’m excited to see where they’re going with it. Kevin Porter started getting things going. He’s looking like he’s on track to have a great career. They have Christian Wood. There’s some more guys that are ready to start getting comfortable in the NBA.
“Definitely an intriguing spot, for sure.”
Still, unless things change, his lone pre-draft visit will remain with the team that won the lottery, rather than the team that was runner-up. He already showed as much polish when talking about the Pistons as teams expect to see when he is given the keys to their offense.
“I took a lot away from (the visit,)” Cunningham said. “The organization has a lot of great people in it. If they take me, I’ll definitely be excited to be there. They have a lot of good things going for them.”
The freshman player of the year and consensus first-team All American last season, Cunningham has been considered likely to be the first pick since his starring turn with the USA Basketball U19 team, if not through the years playing at Montverde Academy and in AAU tournaments, often playing with or against other top prospects Jalen Green and Jalen Suggs.
That put him on the radar. But Cunningham considered becoming the first pick of the NBA draft to be a goal since he was 14.
“I started thinking about that once I let football go,” Cunningham said. “That was like the turning point for me locking in, just thinking about basketball. From that point on, it was just me wanting to be the best. Going into my ninth-grade year is when I started studying more the mindset of the top guys, how they approach different situations. It helped me get to this point.”
Asked to compare his game, with a mix of great size and playmaking abilities, to others, the 6-8, 220-pound Cunningham mentioned Penny Hardaway, Magic Johnson and Jason Kidd. But Cunningham knew the comparison made most often and sought to sidestep it.
“I don’t like to compare myself to people that are around my age because we’re about to play against each other,” Cunningham said. “I hear a lot of the Luka (Doncic) comparisons, which I can definitely see it. But next year, we’re going to play against each other.
“Anytime I watch basketball, playmaking ability shows how much they know the game, it’s just their feel for the game. If you can make plays for your team and help put your teammates in winning position, you can always get playing time. I take a lot of pride in it.”
More than earning playing time, it will make him the centerpiece of the team that picks first. He said he felt “no pressure” with those expectations. The visit to Detroit quickly made him feel at home.
“They showed a lot of love throughout, when I was walking through the city, walking through the stadium,” Cunningham said. “I remember dreaming of being a top guy. Being from Arlington, I’m all the way out in in Detroit, people talking about ‘We want Cade,’ it’s surreal for me. I know I played a lot of big games and stuff like that. That kind of stuff still gives me the chills.”