DALLAS — Detroit Pistons star guard Cade Cunningham is already enjoying a career year and with it comes more players and coaches around the league taking notice of him as among the elite in the NBA.
After a third-team All-NBA selection, Cunningham has upped his game further, leading the East-leading Pistons with 27.1 points, and 9.2 assists per game.
It has Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall-of-Famer and Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd among the group that sees Cunningham as a game-changer and a player that should be in discussions for the Most Valuable Player of the year award.
“He is playing at MVP (level). He should be considered one of the, if not the MVP right now because he’s playing at a high level,” Kidd said ahead of the Pistons matchup against the Mavericks in Dallas on Thursday. “He should be mentioned with (Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic) and (Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic), those guys. Just understanding that he’s playing at that level right now.”
Cunningham is certainly being praised nationally alongside the group at the top of the league.
NBA.com’s latest MVP ladder has Jokic leading the pack with reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder in second. Doncic, a former Mavericks player, is third with Cunningham and the Boston Celtics’ Jaylen Brown rounding out the top five.
For what it’s worth, Cunningham is also fourth among the favorites by oddsmakers, with FanDuel Sportsbook placing him at +7500 to win the award, becoming the first Piston to do so.
The betting gap between Cunningham and the top three of Gilgeous-Alexander (+110), Jokic (+200) and Doncic (+300) is currently quite substantial.
But it’s hard to argue Cunningham doesn’t deserve his spot among the best in the NBA this season. He’s a top clutch player in the league, trailing just Gilgeous-Alexander in clutch scoring — the final five minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime when the score is within five points.
Kidd, who played 19 years in the NBA and was a 10-time All-Star, complimented Cunningham’s full repertoire ahead of Thursday night’s game.
In the previous matchup between the teams on Nov. 1 in Mexico City, Cunningham scored 21 points and had 18 assists in a 122-110 victory.
“When you look at the pace, his speed, his ability to control the game, not just from scoring, but passing,” Kidd said. “Being able to get guys going early, everyone’s touching it and then he just understands when it’s time to go.”
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