Pistons Win No. 1 Pick, Shot to Draft Cade Cunningham
The Detroit Pistons will have the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, putting them in position to make Oklahoma State guard Cade Cunningham the No. 1 overall selection next month.
The NBA Draft Lottery was held Tuesday evening, while the NBA Scouting Combine is continuing in Chicago this week. The NBA Draft is set for July 29.
Many consider Cunningham to be the No. 1 prospect in this draft after a season in which he was the Big 12 Player of the Year and led the Cowboys back to the NCAA Tournament after a four-year absence.
READ MORE: Big 12 Basketball Transfer Tracker
READ MORE: Big 12 NBA Draft Tracker
Cunningham, a 6-foot-8 guard, averaged 20.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.6 steals per game. Along with Big 12 Player of the Year, Cunningham earned All-Big 12 Freshman of the Year honors, selection to the All-Big 12 Freshman team, the All-Big 12 Newcomer Team and the All-Big 12 First Team. He was also named the Wayman Tisdale National Freshman of the Year.
Should Cunningham be the No. 1 pick, he will join a Pistons franchise that finished 20-52 last season. During the ESPN broadcast, Adrian Wojarnowski reported that Cunningham’s representatives told him that Cunningham would only visit the team with the No. 1 overall selection.
There was intrigue heading into the NBA Draft lottery, as three teams — the Houston Rockets, the Detroit Pistons and Orlando Magic each had a 14 percent chance of getting the No. 1 overall pick. The Oklahoma City Thunder and the Cleveland Cavaliers both had an 11.5 percent chance of getting the No. 1 pick. Orlando fell out of the Top 4 of the lottery during the drawing process, but also have two lottery picks thanks to previous trades. So do the Golden State Warriors.
Based on the lottery’s results, here are the Top 14 picks in the 2021 NBA Draft:
1. Detroit Pistons
2. Houston Rockets
3. Cleveland Cavaliers
4. Toronto Raptors
5. Orlando Magic
6. Oklahoma City Thunder
7. Golden State Warriors
8. Orlando Magic
9. Sacramento Kings
10. New Orleans Pelicans
11. Charlotte Hornets
12. San Antonio Spurs
13. Indiana Pacers
14. Golden State Warriors
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
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