Cade Cunningham was the No.1 pick of the 2021 NBA Draft and is now set to join the Detroit Pistons for his rookie season.
Cunningham talked to reporters, including TalkBasket.net, afterwards and explained what he will bring to the Pistons.
“Last year Detroit had a great draft I feel like. Getting two All-Rookie (players) is huge. It’s a great young core that they already have, along with Killian Hayes, who coming off of injury, he’s going to have a big year this year.
I’m excited to be able to join that young core and grow together with them. I think that’s the biggest thing. I want to hop right in and contribute to the mentality that they go into games with. They want to defend, they want to play hard and that’s what I want to come in and provide for them, as well.
I don’t want to take a step back from the mentality that the team has. Detroit Pistons has always been about grit and working for everything that they have. You look back on the Bad Boys teams, that’s what made those teams great.
I want to try to bring that mentality to the team. I know that they already have young guys that have that mentality, and I feel like me just adding on will only take us to the next step,” Cunningham told reporters, as transcribed by the NBA.
Cunningham is the highest-drafted player in Oklahoma State history. The previous highest-drafted OSU players were Bryant Reeves (1995) and Marcus Smart (2014), who were both selected with the sixth pick. Cunningham is the first OSU player to be selected in the first round since Smart.
