DETROIT — Every time Cade Cunningham approaches the foul line at Little Caesars Arena, he is met with a resounding chant of “MVP.” The atmosphere reached a massive high during the Detroit Pistons’ 121-90 victory over the New York Knicks on Monday night. Cunningham led the team to a blowout win by scoring 29 points on 11-of-17 shooting. He also recorded his 20th double-double of the season by adding 13 assists.
It’s common for fans to chant “MVP” for their franchise player. However, as the Pistons continue their dominance in the Eastern Conference standings as they approach the halfway point of the season, winning the award is becoming more of a possibility for Cunningham. Cunningham would become the first player in franchise history to win the award, and it would mark his personal ascent into uncharted territory.
“I like his demeanor,” Knicks coach Mike Brown said. “As a superstar, I always felt that you have to be even-keeled; if you get a little too high or a little too low, if you are that guy, your team is going to follow you. … You can feel his confidence, which feeds the rest of the group. His talents speak for themselves.”
Following the Pistons’ big win over the Knicks, here are three reasons why Cunningham has emerged as an MVP favorite.
Career year, clutch moments
Cunningham’s argument for league MVP honors is based on his outstanding individual performance. His statistics slightly mirror his breakout season of last year, but the former No. 1 pick (2021) is having a career season through 33 games, averaging 26.7 points per game, along with 9.7 assists, 6.2 rebounds, and 1.5 steals. Across the league, Cunningham ranks 13th in points per game and second in assists.
His case for MVP is more about his play in clutch moments, which measures a player’s production when games are within five points or less in the final five minutes.
He has recorded the fourth-highest scoring average in clutch situations, with an average of 5.2 points. His 15-point performance in the second half against the Knicks exemplified Cunningham’s dominance in the final two quarters, where he ranks seventh overall, averaging 15.2 points.
Cunningham has also played a key role in multiple teammates having career-best seasons, notably Jalen Duren, who is close to earning his first All-Star selection with averages of 17.9 points and 10.6 rebounds.
Pistons’ success matches Cunningham’s achievements
Several players this season have performed exceptionally well. Tyrese Maxey (Philadelphia 76ers) and Donovan Mitchell (Cleveland Cavaliers) are in the middle of career years, ranking third and fourth, respectively, in scoring. However, Maxey’s and Mitchell’s performances do not align with their team’s dominance, as the Pistons have excelled throughout Cunningham’s MVP-caliber season.
Cunningham has led the Pistons to the league’s second-best record at 27-9. Although it has taken a collective effort, he has been vital in the team’s offensive dominance. Detroit has put together the ninth-best offense, posting a net rating of 117.0 while averaging 118.8 points per game.
In addition, Cunningham is having the best defensive season of his career, becoming a key player in Detroit’s rise to the league’s No. 2 defense. His late-game performances have also led the Pistons to a league-best 15-7 record in clutch moments.
Cunningham’s MVP competition
The biggest obstacle in Cunningham’s path to an MVP award might be the competition.
Nikola Jokić’s triple-double stat line (29.6 points, 12.2 rebounds, 11.0 assists) while leading the Denver Nuggets to the second-best record in the Western Conference has the future Hall of Famer on track for his fourth MVP award. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander might win the honor for the second consecutive season after the Oklahoma City Thunder’s impressive 24-1 start.
Over the past couple weeks, however, Jokić’s and Gilgeous-Alexander’s cases have been on a decline.
Jokić suffered a knee injury on Dec. 29 that not only put his MVP-caliber season on hold, but it could also lead to him falling short of the league’s 65-game minimum rule. Gilgeous-Alexander has taken a slight decline due to the recent slump the Thunder have been on. Since their In-Season Tournament elimination loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Dec. 13, the Thunder have gone 6-5 and now sit 30-7.
Cunningham appeared to be in a close race with Luka Dončić for third place. Dončić has averaged 33.7 points through 26 games this season, but the Los Angeles Lakers have been mediocre at best, and are 22-11 after going 3-4 over their last seven games.
One of the Lakers’ most recent losses came at the hands of the Pistons, who won 128-106 at Crypto.com Arena on Dec. 30. In that game Cunningham finished with 27 points, including 20 in the first half.