Why Cade Cunningham Deserves To Be in Serious MVP Consideration

As the NBA prepares for the All-Star break signaling the first half of the year is over, talks about the postseason awards are beginning to ramp up.

While guys like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic appear to be the front runners, a certain Detroit Piston appears to be unfairly left out of discussions.

Cade Cunningham not only deserves to be in discussion for MVP right now, he needs to be one of the favorites for the award.

Cade’s case

The Detroit Pistons are the top team in the East, and the second best team in the NBA. Cunningham’s rise this season has helped turn the team around, compared to a middle of the pack season last year, and two seasons below 20 wins before that.

Cunningham is currently leading the NBA in assists, while averaging 25 points per game and just under six rebounds.

It’s not like he’s the only player on the team that can step up and lead, he’s just the best at it. When he is on the court, the Pistons are able to run one of the most efficient offenses in the league, which has caused this fantastic season.

While statistically Cunningham may not be the “best” player in the NBA, it’s hard to argue he is not the most valuable to a team playing winning basketball.

Similar to Steve Nash or Derrick Rose, they weren’t regarded as the best player in the league at the time of their MVPs, but it was clear they were the players elevating an organization more than anyone else. That’s Cunningham’s role right now. He has raised the Pistons ceiling to real Finals contenders, and it’s hard to imagine them in this situation without Cunningham.

Cade vs other candidates

While Cunningham is generally considered in the top five for candidates, he has generally been behind SGA, Donic and Jokic in discussions.

Jokic will likely be removed from all talks soon, as he would need to play nearly every game of the second half to meet the NBA’s 65-game minimum for award consideration.

The reigning MVP SGA is currently averaging just under 32 points per game, another fantastic season. He has the Oklahoma City Thunder as the top team in the West, and they look like clear favorites to repeat as Finals Champions.

The argument around SGA should be that his team is simply too good. There is too much star power across the board. While SGA is arguably the league’s best player, he isn’t as valuable to the Thunder’s success.

If you took SGA away, the Thunder would still be one of the top teams in the league, led by Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams.

Think about Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant on the Golden State Warriors. Both were clearly the best players in the league, but neither was more “valuable” to the team’s success. SGA should have to follow the same logic, sacrificing a ring for some personal accolades.

Doncic is leading the NBA in scoring with 32.8 points per game. He’s got the Lakers sitting at 32-21, good for sixth in the West.

The argument for Cunningham over Doncic would simply be that Cunningham is leading a better team. It’s rare to see an MVP come from a team that isn’t sitting between first and third in their conference.

If Doncic can’t get the Lakers to a higher seed, with guys like LeBron James and Austin Reeves helping him out, then he’ll be losing votes in the postseason.

Cunningham has the Pistons in a better spot with arguably less, and deserves recognition for that.

Only time will tell well the voters will decide to go for the award, but Cunningham’s incredible season with the Pistons needs to be considered more seriously in the second half of the season.