Oklahoma State Basketball: Is Cade Cunningham a “decade-defining” recruit?

A decade-defining skill set

In terms of the physical tools, he checks every box. He is a point guard in a foward’s body (6-foot-8, 7-foot wingspan, 220-pounds). He can rise well-above the rim, blow by defenders off-the-bounce, and thrives in the transition.

As a scorer, he is as strong as a finisher as he is a smooth one; he can score through or around defenders. He has a fine handle with a quick and controlled crossover; simply name a spot on the court and he will likely create a good look for himself there.

That “spot on the court” includes from beyond the 3-point line. During his senior year, Cunningham shot a jaw-dropping 47.7 percent from downtown. While hitting his jump shot off of the dribble is still a work in progress, from a pure fundamental standpoint Cunningham’s shot is acceptably solid.

But the real magic of seeing Cunningham play offensive basketball, even when one accounts for his impressive combination of athleticism and scoring ability, is seeing him act as a main initiator/playmaker.

It is rare for a player with Cunningham’s size to be the playmaker that he is, but when they are, they commonly have an advantage when attempting to see over defenses. Cunningham has that; the ability to see over defenders. And when you combine that with his patience as a passer, you have a special outcome.

When Cunningham drives and the defense collapses, he waits till the very last second before making them pay for it. He always maximizes the best possible look for his teammates, eerily similar to what Luka Doncic does for the Dallas Mavericks.

He drives through every avenue as a passer. He makes defenses pay in kick-out situations, he can pass with either hand, he can throw over the top of defenses with skip passes and he can make decisions out of the pick-and-roll. In all of these situations, the pass he makes is usually the right one; his instincts are menacing.

That is the same story for him on the defensive end of the floor. Cunningham has the ability to defend multiple positions thanks to his size and he can do so effectively thanks to his instincts/activity, most notably with his hands.

Essentially every drive attempt or savvy dribble move an opposing offender does is interrupted by Cunningham swiping away at the action, and more often than not that ends up as a steal. If it does not, then it stalls the action and lets him disrupt his offender’s next move or plan of attack. This helps him effectively guard on-ball, despite him not necessarily being the quickest defender when moving laterally.

But off-ball defense, or team defense for that matter, is more Cunningham’s strong suit. He’s excellent when acting as a weak side help defender and interrupting passing lanes. He shows shades of elite NBA wing defenders like Ben Simmons or Jayson Tatum at times, to irresponsibly list a few comparisons.

That is the big, recurring theme with Cunningham. The story is always “he is good at this, but wait, he is even better at that” when describing his game. This is, and should be, the case when describing a decade’s potentially defining recruit.

But a decade-defining recruit also has a single elite characteristic. For Zion, it was his athleticism. For Davis, it was his defense. And for Cunningham, it is – what some might call – his mentality. Oklahoma State head coach, Mike Boynton, agrees with that sentiment. He says:

“The thing that I’ve always been most impressed with is just his maturity level. When I met him when he was 14, I think, he didn’t talk like a 14 year old. He had a presence about himself, and then when you watch him play, you can just see how competitive and how unselfish he is. And I think that is why people are drawn to him.”

Cunningham seems like the player most others want to be around, both on and off the basketball court. That is important to have when you’re as good as Cunningham seems to be, skill-wise. Rashaad Phillips describes it as “magnetism” or being a player who others simply just want to play with. When you’re a star-caliber player, like Cunningham, that becomes exponentially important.

Where all the lights will be shining on him, Cunningham is built to thrive in the environment laid out for him at Oklahoma State; his magnetism will flourish.

And he himself will flourish. His skill set shows that his background shows that and his character shows that. In fact, he might flourish so much that fans might look back at this article and think its “decade-defining” proclamation is not so scoff-worthy after all.

Because Cunningham is that good. He’s good enough to define a decade of college basketball. And while Oklahoma State Basketball will not be able to contend for a March Madness appearance this season, they will at least have this to look forward to: the chance to have potentially one of the best recruits of the 2020s wear their jersey for the span of an entire season.