Projecting the 2021-2022 Cleveland Cavaliers’ starting lineup
By Amadou Sow
Point Guard: Cade Cunningham
The 2021 NBA Draft is projected to be a great one and is a year where we could see the Cavaliers luck out once again. The prized player of this draft is expected to be Cade Cunningham, the #1 point guard and #2 overall player in the nation, according to ESPN’s top 100. The 6-foot-7, 215-pound point guard played high school basketball at Montverde Academy and, during his time there, he showed great offensive potential with his playmaking and scoring abilities.
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Cunningham, who was a finalist for the National Gatorade Boys Basketball Player of the Year this year, had 13.9 points, 6.4 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game in his last year at Montverde while leading the squad to a perfect record, as was h/t The Oklahoman‘s Jacob Unruh.
Cunningham will be attending Oklahoma State in the fall of 2020 and we will know much more about his game once his freshman season is over. Looking at what he could bring to the Cavaliers, his length at the point guard position could help to improve a Cavaliers’ defense that needs much help.
Also, with his length, Cleveland head coach J.B Bickerstaff could look to get creative and try him at multiple positions ranging from the point guard position to the small forward position.
Lastly, adding another ball-dominant guard could allow for more off-ball action for players such as Collin Sexton, Darius Garland and Kevin Love.
Cade’s game is not perfect by any means and if he wants to become a star in the NBA, he is going to have to improve his outside shot. The good thing for him is that he is still young and has plenty of time to make the necessary improvements.
If the Cavs can luck out into the number one overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, Cunningham looks to be too good to pass up on and could be the player that turns this franchise around.