Last season, Pistons guard Cade Cunningham ascended to superstardom. His play was central to the team’s 60-win season. What took him to that level was his growth as a playmaker and defender. Cunningham notched career highs in assists and steals. He learned to close games, and Detroit finished 60-22 and took the No. 1 seed in the East. Improved conditioning with playoff experience gave him a new level of confidence. If this trajectory continues, a Cade Cunningham MVP season is in play. These are the areas of his game that could get him there.
A Cade Cunningham MVP Season Starts With Scoring
Looking at the MVPs of the last decade, one theme emerges: they all scored a lot of points at a historically efficient level. Nikola Jokic has made averaging almost 30 points a game while shooting 58% from the field look so easy that people question if he even likes his job. That, along with his elite playmaking, catapulted him to three MVP awards since 2021. Cade Cunningham is already at Jokic’s level in passing, finishing second in assists behind the Serbian center last season. If he can match his efficiency, that equals hardware.
If Cunningham needs a guard to study these methods, look no further than the MVP of the past two seasons, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. SGA has set new standards in scoring the ball at efficient levels (and not just because of his foul-baiting artistry). In his most recent MVP campaign, he averaged 31 points while managing to shoot 55%. That’s hard to do as a role player; imagine doing that on 19 attempts per game.
The Efficiency Gap Is Still Real
Cunningham has gotten better over the years, but his shooting percentage has never gotten above 47%. Improved spacing from the likes of Isaiah Joe, along with an emergence from a guard like Daniss Jenkins or Ebuka Okorie, could help give the Pistons star more room to operate. He has had to operate in as tight of spacing offensively as anyone in the league. But until his scoring average is higher and more efficient, he will have a hard time winning MVP.
Free Throws Are the Easiest Points Left
Despite the hate that foul-baiting garners, there’s a reason why players do it: it works. Former MVP James Harden was the originator of the craft, and SGA has become its master. There is no easier shot in the sport than the one that literally has “free” in the title. Cunningham notched six attempts per game this past season. The OKC guard has had seasons where he pushed close to 11. Fans can moan and groan at its presence in the game all they’d like. But it’s been a part of basketball for a long time, and will continue to be a part of basketball.
The MVP Bar Has Never Been Higher
It can seem like impossibly high standards to compare players to the likes of all-time greats. But that IS the standard of winning MVP. In a league that’s more talented than ever, with a 7-foot-4 alien in Victor Wembanyama coming for the prize this season himself, Cade Cunningham will have to truly have a historic campaign to even be nominated. The ‘smooth operator’ will need to become the Terminator.
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