How will Cade Cunningham fit in the Detroit Pistons lineup? As expected the Detroit Pistons selected Cade Cunningham with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft. That was the first time since 1970 for Pistons to have the No. 1 pick when they selected Bob Lanier out of St. Bonaventure.

Cunningham is a 19-year-old point guard who spent one season at Oklahoma State University where he played 27 games averaging 20.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.6 steals in 35.4 minutes per game. Cunningham wasn’t the can’t-miss prospect that LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Zion Williamson were, but he was the consensus favorite atop an impressive 2021 draft class.

He was so sure he would be picked first, that he decided to visit only one team prior to the draft – the Pistons.

Detroit had the second-worst record in the league last season, so there is plenty of work ahead of them. They were well below average at shooting and rebounding and scored the fourth-lowest point totals in the league.

The good thing for them is they got the first pick in the draft and Cunningham is a major talent who can bring better days in Detroit.

He will definitely have a starting role from the beginning of the season.

Jarami Grant was the best player on the Pistons roster last year averaging 22.3 points per game. Grant is 27-years-old and the oldest player in the Pistons starting lineup.

Cunningham will be able to get his chance next to the other youngsters Killian Hayes, Saddiq Bey, and Isaiah Stewart, all of them being rookies last year.

At 6-8, 220-pounds, Cunningham is built like a forward with the skills of a guard. He is a fluid athlete with the ability to play at different speeds, and make plays in a variety of ways. He has great ball control, footwork, and his overall feel for the game has been compared to some of the best ball-dominant players in the league. Like Bey, he is also a good shooter from three, but his size enables him to drive to the basket.

In college, he showed a clear ability to be a knockdown shooter and get to his spots. It’s tough to find many question marks in his offensive game, that is why he was the consensus No. 1 pick. On defense, Cunningham possesses all the physical tools needed to succeed. He has a 7-foot wingspan that could swallow up just about any average-sized guard.

He doesn’t have the blow-by speed of smaller guards, but he’s a smooth scorer and facilitator, and his big frame should allow him to guard multiple positions in the NBA.

Cunningham is comfortable orchestrating the offense, with smart assists or hitting shots off a pick and roll. He has the ability to control the pace of the game. He can definitely play off the ball, but he shines when the offense runs through him.

Detroit drafted its potential point guard of the future last year in Killian Hayes with the seventh overall pick.

Hayes, another big point guard at 6-5, will likely start alongside Cunningham in Detroit’s backcourt. The two 19-year-olds will have to learn to play off each other in Dwane Casey’s system.

Cunningham will wear No. 2, which is a special honor because that number was retired in honor of Chuck Daly, who coached the Bad Boys teams to back-to-back NBA titles in 1989 and 1990.

With permission from the Daly family, Cunningham was able to don the number he wore in college at Oklahoma State — and with it, the responsibility that goes along with representing the Pistons and the city.