Mavs' Luka Doncic Comparison: NBA Draft Star Cade Cunningham 'Can See It'

The comp, if it is about "ceiling,'' isn't ridiculous. Cade Cunningham can see it.

It is going to be a sign of respect for Luka Doncic for the rest of his career. For the rest of his life.

Kids will come along in the NBA Draft and the comparisons will come with them.

And right on time, here comes Cade Cunningham, a DFW and the projected No. 1 pick of the 2021 NBA Draft ... and what he thinks of those assessments.

“I can see it,” Cunningham said, speaking to the media ahead of the July 29 NBA Draft.

Cunningham is 19. He's a 6-8, 220-pound playmaker. He spent just enough time at Oklahoma State to create the NBA player comparisons now coming his way. And of course, in addition to growing up idolizing Dirk Nowitzki, he's also grow up, for recently, recognizing the brilliance of Doncic, the two-time All-NBA star and now, at 22, a perennial MVP candidate.

“Speed, athleticism is definitely a great quality to have, but Luka just knows how to play the game,” Cunningham has said in what is both a scouting report on Luka and a review of his own style. “He knows how to get you leaning one way, give you a move and get to his spots. Somebody that’s tougher to guard than someone that’s super athletic.”

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Cunningham, of course, has a long way to actually matching Doncic. The Mavs superstar and playmaker is one of the best players on the planet; Cunningham is but one of the best players in a draft class.

But the comp, if it is about "ceiling,'' isn't ridiculous. Cade Cunningham can see it.

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