Pistons' Cade Cunningham, Cavs' Evan Mobley will always be linked by NBA Draft lottery luck
TL;DR
Cade Cunningham and Evan Mobley are forever linked by their proximity in the 2021 NBA Draft lottery. The Pistons selected Cunningham first overall, while Mobley was picked by the Cavaliers shortly after.
Key points
- Cade Cunningham was selected first overall in the 2021 NBA Draft.
- Evan Mobley was picked shortly after Cunningham by the Cavaliers.
- The Pistons won the No. 1 pick in the lottery.
Pistons' Cade Cunningham, Cavs' Evan Mobley will always be linked by NBA Draft lottery luck originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
If the ping pong balls had been drawn differently, Cade Cunningham and Evan Mobley may have ended up on opposite sides of the Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers playoff series.
They'll always be linked by how close together they were in the 2021 NBA Draft.
The Pistons won the No. 1 pick in the lottery and took Cunningham, who was the consensus top choice.
The Cavs ended up No. 3 and got Mobley.
As every NBA fan knows, the lottery goes all sorts of ways, and it could've flipped here.
Detroit was one of three teams with 14% chance at the top pick, as one of the bottom-three from the year before, and got that spot.
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Houston, which also had a 14% chance, got the second pick. The Rockets chose Jalen Green.
The Cavs were tied for the fourth-best odds at No. 1, at 11.5%, but ended up No. 3. That's where they got Mobley.
The top-10 after these guys, starting with pick 4:
- Raptors: Scottie Barnes
- Magic: Jalen Suggs
- Thunder: Josh Giddey
- Warriors: Jonathan Kuminga
- Magic: Franz Wagner
- Kings: Davion Mitchell
- Pelicans: Ziaire Williams
At least from Barnes through Wagner, those are some quality picks. A case could be made for Barnes and Wagner as being better than Mobley, but a case can be made the other way, too.
Cunningham's selection has aged well as the clear top player from this draft.
Mostly, it's a fascinating example of the luck of the draw. All it took was a certain combination for the Pistons to come out winners and get Cunningham. But the Cavs still got enough luck to move a bit up the board and end up with Mobley.
Now, they're locked in a big-time playoff series against one another, five years later.
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Q&A
How did Cade Cunningham and Evan Mobley end up on different NBA teams?
Cade Cunningham was selected first overall by the Detroit Pistons, while Evan Mobley was picked by the Cleveland Cavaliers due to the results of the 2021 NBA Draft lottery.
What was the significance of the 2021 NBA Draft lottery for Cunningham and Mobley?
The 2021 NBA Draft lottery determined the order of selection, linking Cunningham and Mobley as they were the top two picks, influencing their careers and team dynamics.
What teams did Cade Cunningham and Evan Mobley play for after the 2021 NBA Draft?
Cade Cunningham plays for the Detroit Pistons, while Evan Mobley plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers, both teams benefiting from their respective draft selections.
