Strengths
Right-handed… Cunningham is an offensive force at the collegiate level and with his athleticism, has potential to slip into the later part of the first round. Although he stands just 6’4”, he has long arms and an explosive first-step to put the ball on the floor and drive to the basket or soar up above his defender and release a timely jumper. Given his skill set (and underwhelming perimeter jumper), Cunningham is one of the very best slashers in the country; he shot nearly 49 percent from inside the arc, attacking the rim with an aggressive mentality and getting to the foul line about 8 times per game. He was second in the country in free-throw attempts in his junior year, making the seventh most. He excels getting out in transition, but is still a raw product offensively for the most part. He shows a very high motor and a high basketball IQ to read the defense and fill the open space… Cunningham gets out in transition more often than not, especially with his ability on the defensive end- where he has averaged better than 2.5 steals per game in his sophomore and junior campaigns. He uses his length and quick first step to play the passing lanes well.
Weaknesses
Cunningham is undersized for a 2-guard, looking more like 6’3” than an actual 6’4” as listed. Still just 20 years old, he has room to grow a little bit more and fill out his bare frame. Nearly one-third of all of his shot attempts came from behind the arc, which is quite surprising given his propensity to drive the lane, draw contact and get to the foul line nearly eight times a game! Despite his relatively limited and still developing raw offensive game, Cunningham was the offensive focal point for the Beavers. Combine that with Oregon State’s lack of overall talent and the future looks promising for him…. Defensively, however, Cunningham tends to struggle at times as his lateral question is in question as he fails to recover from hard fakes. His ability and effort must elevate to a higher level if he keeps his name in the Draft.
