Cade Cunningham overwhelming favorite to be chosen first in 2021 NBA Draft

Tuesday night’s NBA lottery draw helped fill in some puzzle pieces to the upcoming draft, including the future home of Cade Cunningham, a near lock to be the first overall pick.

Based on odds at TwinSpires Sports, the Oklahoma State freshman is a massive -10000 favorite to join the Detroit Pistons, who drew the No. 1 pick in the July 29 draft.

Cunningham was the nation’s top recruit in 2020, ranking ahead of fellow NBA draft classmates Jalen Green, Evan Mobley, and Jonathan Kuminga.

The 6'8" guard could have jumped to the G League last season, or played for a top program, like Duke, North Carolina, or Kentucky, but he opted to enroll at Oklahoma State, where his brother served as an assistant coach.

In his freshman season, Cunningham averaged a team-high 20.1 points and shot 43.8% from the field, including 40% from behind the arc. He also recorded 6.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.6 steals per game for the Cowboys, who finished 21-9 and reached the second round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament.

Following the NBA lottery draw, Pistons general manager Troy Weaver played coy about Cunningham as his choice at No. 1, but most NBA analysts agree Cunningham is the type of franchise-altering talent you take, regardless of team need.

Weaver values bigs and could turn his attention to USC center Evan Mobley, or the G League Ignite's Jalen Green.

Nonetheless, pretty much every expert mock draft has Weaver choosing Cunningham, who could shift the fortunes of Detroit with his dynamic playmaking abilities and complement Pistons guard and 2020 first-rounder Killian Hayes.

Houston Rockets' choice at No. 2 an uncertainty

While Cunningham is seemingly guaranteed to go first overall, the next player off the board is a bit of a tossup.

USC freshman sensation Mobley is the frontrunner on the odds board (-118) to land in Houston, but Green (+125), a star shooting guard out of the G League, may be a better fit on the roster.

Mobley led the Trojans in scoring (16.4 points), rebounding (8.7), and blocks (2.9) last season, and earned Pac-12 Player of the Year, Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, and Pac-12 Freshman of the Year honors.

Green joined the inaugural G League Ignite in 2020 and played just 15 games in a COVID-shortened season, in which he averaged 17.9 points on 46.1% shooting, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.8 assists.

The other player who could sneak into the No. 2 spot on the draft board is Gonzaga freshman Jalen Suggs (+125), who posted 14.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.9 steals per game last season. Suggs guided the Bulldogs to a 31-1 record and an appearance in the NCAA national championship game, where his team fell to Baylor.

Most mock drafts see Suggs as a potential replacement for Kyle Lowry on the Toronto Raptors, who own the No. 4 pick. The two-way player came up huge under the bright spotlight of the NCAA tournament, and should contribute instantly at the next level.

NBA draft props on Wagner, Kispert, and Moody

In addition to betting on which players will hear their name called among the top four of the impending NBA draft, you can also wager on the draft position of a number of high-end prospects.

Suggs' teammate, Corey Kispert, is a potential late lottery pick who may be the best shooter in his class. The 6'7" forward ranked sixth in the nation in 3-point percentage (43.9%) and averaged the second-most points per game for Gonzaga (18.6).

The Over/Under on Kispert's draft position is 13.5 (-113). ESPN estimates the four-year Gonzaga star as the No. 10 pick, by the New Orleans Pelicans, while Bleacher Report projects him as the Golden State Warriors' choice at No. 14.

Other notable names available to wager on include Michigan forward Franz Wagner (Over/Under 9.5), and Arkansas forward Moses Moody (Over/Under 11.5). Moody, the SEC Freshman of the Year, is currently at the NBA draft combine in Chicago, which Wagner chose to skip.

Wagner's most common draft projection is the No. 9 pick, held by the Sacramento Kings. Moody has been recently forecast as the No. 11 overall selection of the Charlotte Hornets.

The fate of these players will ultimately be decided at the 2021 NBA Draft on Thursday, July 29, at 8 p.m. ET. ABC will broadcast the first round, while ESPN will provide coverage of the second round.

The deadline for early entry players to withdraw from the draft is Monday, July 19, at 5 p.m. ET.