All-time All-ACC NBA Mock Draft
By Ynal Al-Ouri
Billy Cunningham makes the cut after he was seemingly to unstoppable during his four-year career with North Carolina, averaging a robust 24.3 points, and 15.1 points per game. Cunningham was also named the ACC Player of the Year during his senior season. What stands out about Cunningham the most is his size, he was an incredible rebounder for a player who was about 6-foot-6, and also got to the charity stripe frequently enough to help aid him in his scoring. He only shot about 60 percent from there, which makes us wonder how many more points he could have averaged if he was a bit more successful there. Cunningham seemingly ran circles around his competition during his time at UNC, but the competition of today’s NBA is far more superior.
It would make teams wonder and question how his game would translate to today’s faster pace, and his ability to score without shooting from the outside. With that said though, there have been plenty of undersized players at the forward position who have thrived in the league, the allure of his upside alone may prompt teams to take a gamble on him. Cunningham would be able to bring a tenacious rebounding ability, and a hidden talent of passing the ball well from the forward spot. Even if he doesn’t flourish into an amazing player, he still projects to be a solid player in today’s NBA.