Observations on Cade Cunningham, Moses Moody, and Isaac Likekele

January 31^st, 2021

By Alan Lu

I decided to take the time to watch Cade Cunningham and Oklahoma State play against Moses Moody and Arkansas in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge game that took place yesterday.  It was a very competitive game that went back and forth, but Cade Cunningham made solid plays down the stretch to help his team get the win over Arkansas.  Here are my thoughts on how both Cunningham and Moody fared, as well as how their games may currently translate to the NBA.

Oklahoma State’s 6-8 freshman guard, Cade Cunningham had a solid showing in his team’s win over Arkansas.  He scored 21 points as he also made 2 three-pointers, and he also had 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals to help his team get the victory.

Cunningham did a fairly good job of scoring off the dribble.  He was able to score on a floater off of an aggressive drive, and he also drew an extra free throw afterwards.  He really excelled at drawing fouls upon his defenders to get to the free throw line.  He also showed a knack for making step-back jumpers from the mid-range.  Every once in a while, he would miss on tough, contested shots, but he usually would score on patient shots on drives to the hoop.

He also displayed a decent ability to score in the post.  He was able to score on a couple of turnaround, fade-away jumpers.  However, he also missed on a couple of fade-away jumpers, as he would sometimes tend to take tough shots that would lead to misses. He also shot the ball well from downtown.  Cunningham did a good job of making open, spot-up threes off the catch in this game.  He was able to make one off of a pick and pop play, and he also ran off the ball to make another three-point shot.

Plus, Cunningham also displayed fairly good playmaking skills.  He is a tall, skilled playmaker that has good court sense, and he did a good job of throwing interior passes to find cutters and teammates in transition to set up scores for them.  He can throw accurate lobs, and he also passes well out of the post as well as off the dribble to get the ball to his teammates in an assortment of ways.  On the downside, he would tend to telegraph numerous lazy passes that would get intercepted by his defenders, and it was uncharacteristic of him to turn the ball over so often in this game. Also, he did a good job of rebounding the basketball.  Cunningham would chase down balls to help his team get defensive boards, and sometimes he would push the ball up the court afterwards.

He also played satisfactory defense.  Cunningham excelled at jumping passes to get steals and deflections for his team, and he would use his length to bother opposing ball handlers.  He was active defensively, and he also rotated quickly to defend a cutter to force a miss around the basket.  On the downside, he would sometimes struggle to defend quicker players in one-on-one situations.  Sometimes though, he would get beat off the dribble and not recover to get back to his man, which would lead his team to commit fouls and allow scores.  Another time, he sagged too far off of a shooter, which led his opponent to score on a long two-point shot.  When defending in the post, he got beat off the dribble when defending a running jump hook, which led him to allow a score.

In general, Cade Cunningham played well in his team’s win over Arkansas.  His performance wasn’t spectacular, but he still played well, regardless.  He is a smart, skilled point forward that really showed off his versatility in this game.  He made one especially impressive pass late in the first half, as he threw a lob to find a cutter to set up a score just as the first half came to a close.  He is a solid, all-around player that could be one of the safest bets to succeed in the 2021 draft, and he is a likely top 5 pick that could project to be a solid starter in the NBA.

Arkansas’ freshman guard, Moses Moody played fairly well in his team’s loss to Oklahoma State.  Billed with the sharpshooter label early into in-conference play, it seems that Moody has been looking to show NBA scouts that he has a more diverse game, and that he can do more on both ends of the floor.  He’s taken less threes as a result recently, but he’s shown more of an all-around game right now. Moody excelled at scoring on hustle plays.  He would run the floor to score in transition, and he also was able to throw down a two-handed dunk on the break.

Though he didn’t take as many outside shots as expected, Moody shot the ball fairly well.  He showed a knack for scoring on mid-range jumpers.  He excelled at making mid-range shots from the left elbow, and he also made a long two from just inside the arc. Plus, he also made a quick corner three.  On the downside, he didn’t take many threes in this game, and he also missed on a couple of spot-up threes off the catch.

On the downside, he struggled more when he would look to score on half-court drives.  Moody was able to score on a floater off of an aggressive, right-handed drive.  Sometimes though, he would take tough, contested shots, which would lead to misses.

As a playmaker, he looked to be about average at best.  He didn’t look to pass that often, but Moody was able to throw a bounce pass to find a cutter to notch an assist due to possessing solid court vision that time.  Sometimes though, he would telegraph his passes, which would enable his opponents to pounce upon them.  He threw a pass that got deflected out of bounds.  Another time, he threw a weak bounce pass that ended up getting intercepted by a defender. Also, he was able to get his fair share of defensive rebounds to help his team on the glass, and sometimes he would bring the ball up the floor afterwards.

He also played adequate defense.  Moody would rotate to alter shots in the paint to get stops for his team, and he was also able to force a jump ball once.  He would contest shots off of drives when he would be in position to force misses due to possessing solid length, timing, and activity.  Sometimes though, he would struggle to defend opponents off the dribble.  He got beat off the dribble on a crossover move to allow a score once.  Other times, he can tend to over-rotate, which can lead his team to allow scores, and he also doesn’t always seem to give great effort on the defensive end.

In summary, Moses Moody had a fairly good showing in his team’s loss to Oklahoma State.  He was able to score 17 points, and he also had 4 rebounds in this game.  He will need to improve his playmaking skills and also look to be a more focused defender in games.  Still, he is a shooter that could project into a 3 and D role in the NBA, and he could be a solid value pick for a team in the late first to the second round range of the 2021 draft.

Oklahoma State’s junior guard, Isaac Likekele had his ups and downs in his team’s win over Arkansas.  He didn’t quite shot the ball very well nor take many shots, but he excelled in the non-shooting or scoring related elements of this game. Likekele showed an adequate ability to score off the dribble.  He was able to get a couple of scores on drives to the hoop, and he was able to use a euro-step move to score on a quick reverse layup once on a drive in transition.  Sometimes though, he would take tough, rushed shots that would lead to misses. 

He also flashed the ability to knock down jumpers.  Likekele was able to make an open, spot-up three off the catch.  However, he also missed on two other three-point shots off the catch, and he also missed on a fade-away jumper from the mid-range.

Also, he displayed fairly average playmaking skills in this game.  Likekele is an unselfish player that can throw solid passes off the dribble, and he will make the extra pass to keep the ball moving.  However, he tended to commit ball-handling turnovers, and sometimes he would struggle to create separation between himself and his defenders, which led him to commit a couple of offensive fouls.  He also was called for stepping out of bounds on a drive while probing the defense in looking to pass the basketball.  Another time, he threw an inaccurate high pass that was dropped out of bounds.

Plus, Likekele was able to leap up to get his fair share of defensive boards to help his team on the glass.  He also played satisfactory defense.  Likekele did a great job of jumping passes to get steals, and he also poked a ball away to nearly get another.  He also was able to contest a floater off of a drive to force a miss, and he was quite active defensively.  On the downside, he would sometimes struggle to defend opponents off the dribble.  Sometimes, he would be too aggressive on the closeouts, and other times, he would fail to cut off penetration, which would lead him to commit fouls and allow scores.  Another time, he over-helped off of his man and was late to rotate back, which led his team to allow an opponent to score on an open corner three.

Overall, Isaac Likekele didn’t have his best game, but he still played unselfishly, and he was active as a defender when he was on the court.  He will need to improve his jump shot and be more aggressive on offense, but he is an athletic, energetic combo guard whose defensive skills could make him an intriguing option to consider late in the second round of the upcoming draft.

Arkansas’ senior forward, Justin Smith played very well in his team’s loss to Oklahoma State.  He scored 18 points, and he also had 7 rebounds and 4 assists in this game. Smith excelled at scoring on hustle plays, as well as in the post.  He would tend to score on tip shots after grabbing offensive rebounds, and he also ran in to score on a tip slam.  He also was able to score on a quick cut to the hoop, as well as in transition.  Smith did a good job of scoring on jump hooks, and he also scored on a two-handed jam another time. Sometimes though, he would get his shots blocked around the basket, as there would plays where he would occasionally struggle to score in traffic.

He also showed an adequate ability to score off the dribble.  However, Smith didn’t look to take many shots from further away from the basket.  He missed on a mid-range jumper once, and he did not take a single three-point shot in this game.

He also displayed fairly average at best playmaking skills.  Smith is an unselfish player that would look to find the open man, and he also can pass out of the post to set up scores for his teammates.  However, he would tend to telegraph his passes that would end up getting intercepted, and he also threw a pass that ended up going out of bounds.

Also, he did a decent job of rebounding the basketball.  Smith was active at crashing the glass, and he was able to get multiple boards on both ends of the floor.  He also played adequate defense.  Smith would get his hands on passes to help his team get steals and deflections, and he also was active at contesting jump shots to force misses.  Sometimes though, he would be too aggressive, which would lead him to commit fouls, especially when he would defend opposing ball handlers.

Overall, Justin Smith had a solid showing, as he primarily excelled as an inside scorer in this game.  He will need to extend his shooting range and also cut down on his turnovers.  Still, he is an athletic, high-motor player whose ability to score and defend could enable him to compete for a roster spot in the NBA next season.

Arkansas’ 7-3 sophomore center, Connor Vanover had a decent showing in his team’s loss to Oklahoma State.  He played solid defense in this game, and he did a great job of blocking shots to help his team protect the paint due to possessing solid length and timing.  However, sometimes he would struggle to defend quicker players off the dribble or stronger opponents in the post.  He also didn’t rebound the ball well, but he was able to get boards on both ends of the floor. He also showed the ability to pass out of the post to find cutters, and he also can set good screens to help teammates get open jump shots.  Sometimes though, he would commit turnovers due to carelessness.

He also generally excelled at scoring on hustle plays.  Vanover was able to catch a lob pass off of a cut to score on an alley-oop dunk, and he also scored on a tip-in after grabbing an offensive rebound.  Sometimes though, he would rush his shots, which would lead to misses. He also made an open, corner three off the catch, but Vanover struggled to make spot-up threes consistently in this game.

Overall, Vanover is a tall center that can block shots and provide some floor spacing for his team.  He will need to add more strength and also improve his outside shot.  Right now, he will likely need to stay in school another year to hone his game, but he could be a prospect to watch next season or sometime down the road.

Oklahoma State’s 6-9 sophomore big man, Kalib Boone played very well, as he scored 16 points on 8 of 11 shooting, and he also had 12 rebounds and 3 blocks in his team’s win over Arkansas.  He excelled at scoring in the post as well as off of put backs, as he can throw down powerful dunks and he can score on jump hooks and drop step moves.

He also rebounded the ball very well.  Plus, he played solid defense, as he would fly in to block shots to help his team protect the paint, and he also was able to get his hands on a pass to get a steal.  He also would actively contest shots both out on the perimeter and in the paint to force misses.  Sometimes though, he would lose track of opponents on cuts to allow scores to them.

Overall, Kalib Boone had a very good game in his team’s win over Arkansas.  He is an athletic, energetic big man that could project to be a defensive specialist in the NBA.  He will need to extend his shooting range and expand upon his skill set offensively, but he could be a prospect to watch next season or sometime down the road.

Oklahoma State’s 6-3 sophomore guard, Avery Anderson III shot the ball very well, as he scored 13 points and made 3 threes to help his team get the win over Arkansas.  He primarily excelled as a spot-up shooter from beyond the arc, and he also is an agile player that has good body control to score on drives to the basket.

He also will look to rebound the basketball, and he is an active defender that will get his hands on balls to get deflections, and he also will contest shots to force misses.  However, he also tended to commit fouls due to over-aggressiveness, and he also can sometimes struggle to defend opponents off the dribble.  In addition, he didn’t really pass the ball very well, and he was quite turnover prone on offense.

Overall, Avery Anderson III shot the ball very well, and he is an agile, skilled combo guard that can shoot and score the basketball.  He will need to improve his decision making ability on offense and show that he can effectively run the team at the point, and he will need to be a more disciplined defender.  Most likely, he will need to stay in school for another season, but he could be a prospect to keep tabs on down the road.