Cunningham tops list of prospects in NBA draft

Cade Cunningham spent years honing his game for a shot at becoming the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft.

The Oklahoma State one-and-done star could accomplish that goal Thursday night as the headliner of a class that includes scorers, playmakers and potentially elite defenders at the top.

“I’ve been saying for a long time,” Cunningham said, “we have one of the best classes in a long time. And I’m really appreciative of the fact that we’ve all been pushing each other throughout us coming through high school and things like that.”

Only time will tell how deep the class really is.

But Cunningham won’t be have to wait long Thursday night. His is expected to be the first name called when the Detroit Pistons open the draft in New York, while the rest of the top tier comes from Cunningham’s same 2020 high school recruiting class.

There’s Southern California big man Evan Mobley, the draft’s top big man who helped the Trojans make their deepest NCAA

Tournament push in two decades. Gonzaga point guard Jalen Suggs helped the Bulldogs carry an unbeaten record into the national-title game. Florida State’s Scottie Barnes is a playmaking forward capable of locking down smaller guards.

And there are preps-topros prospects in guard Jalen Green and forward Jonathan Kuminga, with each bypassing college basketball to play in the G League.

“Our talent on the floor speaks for itself,” said Suggs, a former star football player who was named Mr. Football in Minnesota. “But off the floor and in locker rooms, we’re guys who lead and guys who you want in your locker room.”

ESPN basketball analyst Jay Bilas said depth at the top of this draft was the best since 2003, which produced perennial AllStars LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade in the first five picks.

“Look, having LeBron in a draft was certainly