Cavs draft: Examining Cade Cunningham’s potential role as key scorer, playmaker for CLE

Cunningham’s potential role as a key scorer for the Cavs

Cleveland has done well for themselves when it comes to collecting a group of young, effective scorers from the recent drafts over the last few years. If the Cavaliers were to land Cade Cunningham in the 2021 NBA Draft, it would be wise for Cleveland to incorporate the point forward into their starting lineup.

Now, some fans might want to see Cade take on the spot at the 1 and have Darius Garland lead off the bench. While I do see the potential in a Cunningham-Collin Sexton backcourt, I would like to keep our Garland-Sexton guard duo together.

Instead, let’s take a look at Cade’s role as a scorer from beyond the arc, should he play the 3 spot.

During his lone collegiate season with the Oklahoma State Cowboys, Cunningham shot a convincing 40.0 percent from the three point line on 5.7 attempts per outing. In a game against the Iowa State Cyclones, Cunningham put up 21 points, with a three-point shooting percentage of 66.7 percent.

As a forward playing alongside a lineup featuring Garland as the lead facilitator producing 6.1 assists per game, Cade certainly would be able to make a name for himself in Cleveland as a dominant scorer. Playing off the ball would suit the Oklahoma State rookie well in that regard.

Adding Collin Sexton in tandem with Cunningham would give Cleveland two dominant shooters/scorers that could greatly impact the outcome of the game. With Cade’s shooting progression trending upward, he would a formidable scoring option next to the Young Bull.

It goes without saying that Cade Cunningham would fit into Cleveland as a productive scorer, as he finds ways to get to his preferred spot on the floor, can shot create also in the pick-and-roll well, and utilizes step backs and hesitations to get to pull-ups.

In addition, his strength in the paint and use of ball fakes allow him to get to the rim and finish consistently, and both as a driver and shooter, his feel enables him to generate free throws. He had 5.8 free throws per game at Oklahoma State, for context, and hit 84.6 percent of those.

Now, let’s take a look at how the rookie could find a role as a playmaker.