Alabama Basketball Newcomer Breakdown: Naas Cunningham

Another recruit with high potential, Cunningham may not make an immediate impact in 2024-25, but projects to be a strong contributor down the line.

Naas Cunningham on his official visit to Alabama / Alabama Athletics

This is the final part in an 8-part series where BamaCentral's Blake Byler will break down the numbers and the film to give you everything you need to know about each of Alabama basketball's 2024-25 newcomers. 

There aren't too many players who can say that at one point, they were ranked as the No. 1 overall player in their respective recruiting class. One player who can say that is Alabama freshman Naas Cunningham.

He didn't finish there, but about two years ago, Cunningham was ranked by multiple recruiting services as the top overall player in the 2024 recruiting class. Over time his ranking dropped, however still finishing as a top-50 recruit and a 4-star, but watching his game it's easy to see why scouts were so high on him early in his high school career.

Cunningham is unique, with a long, bouncy and athletic 6-foot-7 frame, but he has all the skills of a guard. He's a good shot creator from both mid-range and beyond the arc, can fly high above the rim, has a very solid handle and has quick lateral movements.

What kept him from maintaining his high recruiting ranking was his consistency. Originally from New Jersey, Cunningham left his high school to play in Overtime Elite, an Atlanta-based league for high school-aged players that has a wide variety of talent.

In his final season for Overtime Elite this past winter, Cunningham averaged 13.5 points and 5.3 rebounds per game, solid numbers, but struggled with his consistency from the floor. He had his moments where he looked like a former No. 1 overall recruit, but the inability to maintain that level of consistency caused his ranking to drop over the years.

Still, he's an incredibly talented basketball player, and with some polishing, can be a real contributor at the college level or even beyond. Let's take a look at some film from a few of his OTE games to visualize where he thrives, and how he can fit in Tuscaloosa with Nate Oats and Co.

Of course, one of the most important aspects to getting on the floor in a Nate Oats offense is the ability to shoot the three. Cunningham has the ability to knock down outside shots, and has hovered around the low-30s percentage-wise in his OTE career.

While that's not the high-30s-to-low-40s that some of the best shooters in Alabama's system shoot, it's a respectable number. His shot has good mechanics, and most importantly, he doesn't struggle with confidence when it comes to his shooting.

Take the first clip for example. Cunningham drives inside for a layup and misses after being challenged by the big man in the lane. His teammate comes up with the offensive rebound, and Cunningham keeps himself in the play, drifting to the corner despite the miss.

His teammate finds him in the corner, and it's an immediate catch-and-shoot, one he knocks down with ease.

The second clip could be found on a plethora of different highlights reels from Alabama in Oats' tenure. Cunningham's teammate leads the break, and drops a pass behind him as Cunningham trails the ball handler around the 3-point lead. It's a deep three, but Cunningham pulls up with no hesitation an knocks it down.

He has the range and the ability to knock down shots, and as he improves his consistency, especially getting more catch-and-shoot looks in Alabama's system, he can be a very solid outside shooter at the college level.

Outside of his 3-point shot, Cunningham can score in a variety of crafty ways inside the arc, and his creation is one of his greatest strengths as a player.

In the first clip, he receives an advance pass from his teammate on the fast break, and finds himself in essentially a 1-on-1 with his defender between him and the goal. Cunningham puts his head down and drives towards the basket, but when he's stopped by the defender, pulls up over the top with his long wingspan and puts in a push shot.

His lanky frame allows him to get difficult shots up over the top of smaller defenders, even defenders that are around his size.

His shot creation skills can be seen even clearer in the second clip, where his team is trailing with less than a minute left in the game and they need a quick bucket. Cunningham takes off downhill from the wing and gets to his spot at the elbow, where he rises up and knocks down a mid-range jumper.

Now, you're probably thinking about how mid-range shots aren't frequently used in Alabama's system. (If you're curious about Alabama's mid-range ideology, read this from a few weeks ago). The reality is if Cunningham is efficient enough at that shot to take it more frequently, he'll be able to.

With his build and creation ability, it's a good tool to have in his back pocket, even if it doesn't fit the layups-and-threes nature of the Alabama system.

The last notable part of Cunningham's game is his athleticism. In the above clip, you can see him fly high above the rim for a finish off a transition pass, and he's capable of doing the same as a lob finisher, or creating his own flashy highlights with a clean path down the lane.

Overall, Cunningham needs some polishing and consistency to his game, and more than anything, he needs to put on some weight. Listed at just 175 pounds despite being 6-foot-7 on Alabama's official roster, he's far too underweight for the physicality of the SEC and high major basketball at the moment.

Both because of his needed weight and polishing, it's pretty unlikely that he finds a substantial role on this Alabama team as a freshman, especially considering how loaded the roster is. At Cunningham's position of guard/wing, Alabama already has Derrion Reid, a projected first round pick in next year's draft, as well as Houston Mallette, a senior with plenty of experience.

But, Cunningham is still an immensely talented player with a top-50 grade to his name. If he sticks it out at Alabama after a year of development and time in the weight room, he could find himself contributing as soon as the 2025-26 season with his level of potential.

Check out BamaCentral's previous newcomer breakdowns:

• Cliff Omoruyi
• Chris Youngblood
• Aden Holloway
• Houston Mallette
• Derrion Reid
• Aiden Sherrell
• Labaron Philon