NBA bold predictions for 2021-22: Cade Cunningham will be the First Rookie to be selected to the All-Star Game since Blake Griffin back in 2011
Switching gears to a completely different super BOLD take: Cade Cunningham will be the first rookie selected to the All-Star game since Blake Griffin back in 2011. That’s right! I think that highly of the former first team all-american Oklahoma State Cowboy.
Looking back at the guards in last season’s All-star game, there was Kyrie Irving, James Harden, Bradley Beal, Jaylen Brown, Zach LaVine, and Ben Simmons.
If Kyrie plays in only the Nets home games as it looks right now then that should cancel him off the All-Star team immediately. Then there’s Ben Simmons who is in a stand-still with the Sixers front-office. As each passing day goes by it’s looking more and more likely that this situation is a major headline through the regular season. Ben Simmons has already told the Sixers that he will never suit up for Philly again so if that is true and this saga takes a while as is expected then there’s another guy off the All-Star team.
Harden and Beal will probably make it again barring any injuries. Then there’s Brown and LaVine who I’m not as convinced will make back-to-back appearances. Don’t get me wrong, both Brown and LaVine are great players but there are always guys who make the all-star game one year and miss it the next. Plus, there’s players like Trae Young and Bam Adebayo who are hungry to make the all-star game.
Now, do I actually think Cade will make the all-star team? Not really to be honest but there is a world in which he comes out of the gate balling. The NBA suits his game so much more than college did and we all saw what he did as a freshman at Oklahoma State.
On a Pistons team whose main focus is developing Cade which means he’ll be asked to do everything, I think Cade really steps up and delivers right away. All-star may be pushing it but hey this is a hot take article you’re reading. You asked for the Hot takes and you shall receive!