The Detroit Pistons have made Cade Cunningham the No.1 pick of the 2021 NBA Draft. The name of the guard, as expected, was called first at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
“It’s still a little surreal to me,” Cunningham said after his draw. “I know that this entails a lot of responsibility, but I am ready for it.”
Just hours before the draft, Adrian Wojnarowski had ESPN reports that Detroit has settled on Cunningham. In the days before, there were still rumors that the Pistons would also consider Jalen Green and Evan Mobley for the first pick.
To that end, other teams tried to get Detroit to trade the pick. The Houston Rockets did this “aggressively”, but the Oklahoma City Thunder also attracted an offer. OKC also reportedly offered its own franchise star, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Toronto Raptors surprise with Scottie Barnes
Cunningham is considered a complete player, who is repeatedly compared to Mavs star Luka Doncic. In his only season at Oklahoma State, the 19-year-old averaged 20.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists with shooting rates of 43.8 percent from the field and 40 percent from the line of three. Here is a detailed portrait of the No.1 pick of the 2021 NBA Draft.
As a result, the Houston Rockets selected Jalen Green in second place. The guard spent the season in the G-League. Behind them, the Cleveland Cavaliers took center Evan Mobley (USC) to position three, before the Toronto Raptors provided the first surprise and selected Scottie Barnes (F, Florida State). Orlando Magic point Guard Jalen Suggs.
Franz Wagner, who was associated with the Golden State Warriors, eventually ended up with the Orlando Magic, who selected the forward at position 8. Golden State, on the other hand, took Jonathan Kuminga out of the G-League.
NBA Draft 2021: All picks of the 1st round
| Overall pick | Team | Overall pick |
| 1. | Detroit Pistons | Cade Cunningham |
| 2. | Houston Rockets | Jalen Green |
| 3. | Cleveland Cavaliers | Evan Mobley |
| 4. | Toronto Raptors | Scottie Barnes |
| 5. | Orlando Magic | Jalen Suggs |
| 6. | Oklahoma City Thunder | Josh Giddey |
| 7. | Golden State Warriors (via Minnesota) | Jonathan Kuminga |
| 8. | Orlando Magic (via Chicago) | Franz Wagner |
| 9. | Sacramento Kings | Davion Mitchell |
| 10. | Memphis Grizzlies (via New Orleans) | Ziaire Williams |
| 11. | Charlotte Hornets | James Bouknight |
| 12. | San Antonio Spurs | Josh Primo |
| 13. | Indiana Pacers | Chris Duarte |
| 14. | Golden State Warriors | Moses Moody |
| 15. | Washington Wizards | Corey Kispert |
| 16. | Oklahoma City Thunder (traded to the Rockets) | Alperen Sengün |
| 17. | New Orleans Pelicans (via Memphis) | Trey Murphy |
| 18. | Oklahoma City Thunder (via Miami) | Tre Mann |
| 19. | New York Knicks (traded to the Hornets) | Kai Jones |
| 20. | Atlanta Hawks | Jalen Johnson |
| 21. | New York Knicks (traded to the Clippers) | Keon Johnson |
| 22. | Los Angeles Lakers (traded to the Wizards) | Isaiah Jackson |
| 23. | Houston Rockets (via Portland) | Usman Garuba |
| 24. | Houston Rockets (via Milwaukee) | Josh Christopher |
| 25. | Los Angeles Clippers (traded to the Knicks) | Quentin Grimes |
| 26. | Denver Nuggets | Bones Hylans |
| 27. | Brooklyn Nets | Cam Thomas |
| 28. | Philadelphia 76ers | Jaden Springer |
| 29. | Phoenix Suns (traded to the Nets) | Day’ Ron Sharpe |
| 30. | Utah Jazz (Traded to the Grizzlies) | Santi Aldama |
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