“Jayson Tatum is the prototype for what I want to be”: Cade Cunningham has high hopes for himself ahead of the 2021 NBA Draft as he compares Celtics superstar to the likes of Giannis and Kawhi Leonard

Cade Cunningham believes Jayson Tatum is one of the best two-way guys in the league and says he’s the prototype for who he wants to be. 

The 2021 NBA Draft is less than a week away and Cade Cunningham has been on everybody’s mind ever since the offseason began. The Oklahoma State alum missed out on repping the city in the NBA as a member of the Thunder as the Detroit Pistons snagged the number one overall pick with the Rockets and Cavaliers 2nd and 3rd, respectively. 

Ever since the draft order was announced, Cade has made it quite clear that he’s ready to become a Piston. He’s even quoted as saying that he worked out for Detroit because he knows he’s the number one pick and only wanted to work out for the team with said pick. Even amidst all the rumors of the Pistons looking to trade down, Cade Cunningham doesn’t seem to have wavered.

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Ahead of the upcoming draft, Cunningham decided to sing Jayson Tatum’s praise; a player that he’s been compared to a substantial amount. 

Cade Cunningham wants Jayson Tatum to be the prototype for who he models his game after and praises him as well. 

Player comps are something that ever single draftee has to deal with and more often than not, there is quite a lot of criticism that comes along with it. However, as you get to the top of the draft, naturally, the criticism gets quieter and quieter and that is the case with Cade Cunningham. 

He’s a playmaking extraordinaire and can also knock down the 3 off of spot-ups and off the dribble while keeping his handle tight to explode to the rack. Though he does need to work a bit on his defense, he’s clearly teetering on the line of being considering a generational talent. Similar to how raw Jayson Tatum was when he entered the league, Cade draws comparisons to him as well.

Cade Cunningham on Jayson Tatum: “When you look at the best guys — the best 2 way guys in the league — he’s right at the top. I think of him as the prototype us draft guys want to be in our careers.” pic.twitter.com/wsGAWx4XE1

— Caleb🎈 (@JuicyRed0_) July 24, 2021

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The similarities between Tatum and Cade Cunningham aren’t all too glaring but things like the way they handle the ball, hit 3s off the dribble, and work the post are a bit reminiscent of one another. One plus for Cade is that he isn’t relegating himself to the ‘long mid-range’ like how Tatum was during his first few years in the league. 

With flashes of guys like Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Jayson Tatum pouring out from, Cade Cunningham seems to be a safe bet for being the no.1 overall pick.