How is Cade Cunningham different from Andrew Wiggins in regards to ceiling as a pro?

[NYG]

I don't watch a lot of college basketball, but for those who do... How is Cade Cunningham different from Andrew Wiggins? I know they are completely different players and different abilities, styles and positions, but what I'm asking is strictly in terms of bust potential versus hype going into the draft.

Wiggins was a huge deal coming out of college and ended up being mediocre in the NBA. Oklahoma State doesn't seem great even with Cunningham leading them so what is the difference between the Cunningham hype of this year and the Wiggins hype when he was drafted? What does Cunningham show well that Wiggins didn't? What are some reasons his pro success has a higher likelihood than Wiggins?

[treefi]

Ball handling.

[Dadouv47]

Weird thread. Don't think the Andrew Wiggins hype was that big compared to Cade.

Cade looks like a NBA player already while Wiggins was ''only'' a very talented young player.

Ball handling, passing ability, better shooter and better defender already than Wiggins was in College.

[retrobro90]

Weird thread. Don't think the Andrew Wiggins hype was that big compared to Cade.

Cade looks like a NBA player already while Wiggins was ''only'' a very talented young player.

Ball handling, passing ability, better shooter and better defender already than Wiggins was in College.

Wiggins' hype was at its peak pre-Kansas. His physical profile and scoring ability had people like me salivating. Then he kinda disappointed at college making it seem pretty murky for anyone trying to prognosticate. Cade isn't a jump out of the gym athlete like Wiggins and much of his appeal is based on his advanced skill level/IQ. That doesn't mean he's guaranteed to be good but his projection is less about being a malleable ball of raw athleticism. Not many people evaluating Cade at this stage will use the phrase "if he ever figures it out...".

[clyde21]

Wiggins was not really a huge deal coming out of college, most of his hype was residual from HS but it kinda died down in college because he just wasn't as dominant as he was supposed to be, and lot of question marks began about his motor, consistency, how aggro he is, skill, etc...he went #1 overall because 1) Embiid was an injury risk and 2) he was a physical freak and the team drafting him was hoping what happened at Kansas was a blip not the real Wiggins...kinda how Antman just went #1 overall despite an up and down year at Georgia with similar question marks to the ones Wiggins had

there is just no comparison here at all, Cade already looks like he can run an NBA offense on day 1 no problem.

[BostonCouchGM]

as others have stated, Wiggins was pre-Kansas hyped and if you go watch that tape, deserved because he was a monster. I really don't know what happened in college. I think "team" was preached to the point that it killed his aggression and he's really never recovered. He has tantalizing talent and flashes it often. He's not a bust but is not nearly as good as he should be. Cade is a can't miss superstar in the making. We're barely seeing what he's capable of. Once he's in the wide open NBA he's going to be stellar. He's like a more refined LaMelo Ball but excellent on defense. Where Wiggin's upside was predicated on his physical and athletic traits, Cade's is based on his poise, skill and BBIQ.

My only reservation with Cade is that he's not more aggressive. I am giving him the benefit of the doubt and chalking it up to knowing his team is garbage, not being selfish and him not wanting to risk injury being a one and done. If it turns out this is who he is and will be in the NBA it really will lower his upside from eventually first team all-NBA to 2nd team, in my eyes.

[God Squad]

I'm not even sure if this is a serious question.

How is a Dog different from a Cat?

[Roddy B for 3]

I don't watch a lot of college basketball, but for those who do... How is Cade Cunningham different from Andrew Wiggins? I know they are completely different players and different abilities, styles and positions, but what I'm asking is strictly in terms of bust potential versus hype going into the draft.

Wiggins was a huge deal coming out of college and ended up being mediocre in the NBA. Oklahoma State doesn't seem great even with Cunningham leading them so what is the difference between the Cunningham hype of this year and the Wiggins hype when he was drafted? What does Cunningham show well that Wiggins didn't? What are some reasons his pro success has a higher likelihood than Wiggins?

Wiggins was a monster prospect from high school, like LeBron comps. he dissapointed in college. Cade is living up to (or exceeding because his J looks legit) the hype that was givin to him (much less high school hype than Wiggins fwiw)

As far as game, Cade is WAAAAY different.

About as different as two 6'8" players get.

Wiggins game is more similar to J. Green.

Just suuuuuch different abilities. Do any surface level research on Cade and that will be clear as day. Strange thread imo.

[shakes0]

well one has a high BBIQ and the other is Wiggins.

[cgf]

Cade's more of a suped-up RJ, or Luka if he took fewer deep-3s, than the Wiggins-archetype.

He's not the physical freak that Wiggins was, but he also has a more mature game as a college player than Wiggins does after all these years in the NBA.

[NO-KG-AI]

Cade is just way more productive and actually good at basketball. Andrew Wiggins' entire hopes and dreams relied on the fact that he could jump really high when he was completely unimpeded by defenders.

[nolang1]

Wiggins was overhyped in college because there weren't any hyped college players the year before, but now people are really crapping on Wiggins in college after the fact; his problem was that he didn't get much better from college and spent his critical development years with a backwards rganization that wanted to craft him into a midrange iso player. He was a 2nd team all-american as a freshman, which is more than a lot of hyped one-and-dones can say. Cade has extremely low potential to bust because he can handle and pass much better than Wiggins; he can function as a big point guard whereas Wiggins didn't have particularly great size for a wing.

[Catchall]

For one, he can dribble, pass and create with the ball at a high level. So that's a huge difference. He also seems to have a competitive mentality and some mental toughness with an ability to read the game and make good decisions. He appears to be a much smarter player.

[DroseReturnChi]

cade is more methodical skilled while wiggins is all abt hype and jordan lvl athleticism. too very different prospects.

[LukaTheGOAT]

People with great size, length, and feel that makes them good defensive players along with a solid shot means he has a high baseline.

[nate33]

Cunningham seems like he likes to play basketball.

[Stillwater]

court vision for one thing, but the unselfishness to make the smart play instead of the flashy one if it is the higher % shot is the real difference imo. Wiggins was /is the better athlete though so I am not sure why anyone would compare them besides pre season hype

[The_Hater]

Weird thread. Don't think the Andrew Wiggins hype was that big compared to Cade.

Cade looks like a NBA player already while Wiggins was ''only'' a very talented young player.

Ball handling, passing ability, better shooter and better defender already than Wiggins was in College.

The Wiggins hype was much bigger iMO. It was pretty ridiculous for the player he became. People just seem to forget.

That said, I always thought the main things holding Wiggins back were commitment, motor and bball IQ. His athleticism and his lineage probably helped elevate his hype higher than he should have been and he didn’t appear to put in the work needed to improve his overall skills.

[NYG]

Is he talented enough to win the tourney like Melo as a freshman?

[clyde21]

Is he talented enough to win the tourney like Melo as a freshman?

i mean I guess, Melo averaged 20/10/2.5 that tournament on 47/47/68, not out of the question Cade can average those over 6 or so games, I'd say def not as talented of a scorer as Melo so it might be harder when you need to get those situational buckets but has a much more well rounded game overall at the same point.

but whether those averages would be good enough to win a tourney today I don't know...just don't see how he would get by teams like Gonzaga, Michigan or Baylor unless he's dropping 40 piece a night like he did vs Oklahoma, and I don't think he has enough scoring juice to really do that consistently.