Troy Weaver says the Pistons are still weighing what to do with the No. 1 pick in Thursday night's draft. Reports say they're deciding between Cade Cunningham and Jalen Green.
College basketball analyst Jay Bilas says it's a no-brainer. So does NBA Draft guru and Detroit native Rashad Phillips.
"When you look at Cade Cunningham, this is the best basketball player in the draft," Phillips told the Stoney & Jansen Show Wednesday. "There may be better athletes, there may be better shooters, but when you put the entire repertoire of the game in one room, you get Cade Cunningham. This is a kid you want in your locker room leading your franchise for the next 10 years."
Cunningham is already all-in on Detroit. He raved about the city after a private workout for the Pistons last week. He said he wants to "embody the swag that people from Detroit walk with." Phillips, the all-time leading scorer at Detroit Mercy, knows that swag well. He walks that walk. So, who's better fit for Detroit: Cunningham or Green?
"That’s a great question," said Phillips. "I think Cade, for the simple fact that he reminds me so much of Grant Hill. If you go back in the archives and see the impact that Grant Hill had on the city of Detroit, I just think that it would be hard to pass on a player that has any type of Grant Hill fabric. Again, Jalen Green is a kid that fits today’s game, but we’ve already seen a player like Grant Hill and what his impact was. Why would we go away from that if he can bring some sort of Grant Hill aura back to Detroit?"
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The Pistons drafted Hill third overall in 1994, coming off a 20-win season. They climbed to 28 wins in his first season, 46 in his second and 54 in his third. With the Pistons coming off a 20-win season again, it feels like Cunningham's turn to bring them back. He took Oklahoma State to its first NCAA Tournament win in six years in his lone season with the Cowboys.
"Over the years I feel like I’ve shown through my play and who I am off the court that I can come in and elevate the people around me and an organization," Cunningham told ESPN's Malika Andrews. "I feel like I can come in and be an immediate impact, and that’s what you want from the No. 1 pick."
This is no disrespect to Green, a high-flying guard who figures to go No. 2 to the Rockets and thrive in the NBA. But the consensus is clear on Cunningham as the best player in the draft, and the right player for the Pistons.
"Cade is kind of a throwback player," said Phillips. "He has a lot of intellect, his attention to detail, his leadership, he does a lot of things that may not show up in the box score but that still help your team win. He wasn’t the most exciting player in college basketball, but he may have been the most productive. And when you’re drafting the No. 1 pick, you’re looking for production."