Trae Young Picks Against Cade Cunningham for Major NBA Award

Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young doesn't believe Cade Cunningham should win the NBA's Most Improved Player award.

February 16, 2025; San Francisco, CA, USA; Chuck’s Global Stars guard Trae Young (11, left) of the Atlanta Hawks controls the ball against Kenny’s Young Stars guard Cade Cunningham (2, right) of the Detroit Pistons during the 2025 NBA All Star Game at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

When the 2024-2025 NBA season concludes, there’s a strong chance that Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham wins the league’s Most Improved Player award. In Trae Young’s opinion, Cunningham shouldn’t be in the running. Instead, the honor should end up in the hands of Atlanta Hawks riser Dyson Daniels.

“It should go to a player that has improved and not necessarily a No. 1 pick,” Young told Chris Haynes. “We all expect the No. 1 picks to be great.”

Young’s opinion on the topic isn’t an unpopular one. While Cunningham is certainly eligible to win the award and has a lot of support behind him, many players, fans, and potentially voters have an unwritten rule in place. Players who enter the NBA with top-pick expectations shouldn’t be rewarded with living up to that.

Feb 23, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) protects the ball against Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (5) during the third quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images | Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images

Last season, Cunningham posted averages of 23 points, eight assists, and four rebounds in 62 games. His team notched the worst record in the NBA, which caused many to overlook his value.

This year, it was hard not to notice Cunningham’s improvement. With 70 games in the bag, he averaged 26 points, nine assists, and six rebounds. For the first time, he was an All-Star and is leading the Pistons to the playoffs for the first time since 2019.

Daniels might not have a stat line that matches up with Cunningham’s, but Young still made a case for his Hawks teammate to win two major NBA awards.

“Obviously, Dyson [Daniels] is the Defensive Player of the Year—most improved too—he should get those two awards,” Young stated.

“He’s just been playing great this year. I think Draymond [Green] is in the running [for Defensive Player of the Year]. I love Draymond to death, but he’s not Dyson as far as what he’s doing this year as far as defense, on the ball, every game he’s getting three or five steals.”