Most important games for Cade Cunningham’s Rookie of the Year chances

For the Detroit Pistons, the 2021-22 season has come down to lottery odds, and whether Cade Cunningham can win Rookie of the Year.

Cade had put himself in the driver’s seat prior to his hip pointer injury, as he had taken the top spot on the Rookie Ladder after some impressive performances.

He joined Michael Jordan on an elite list and bested current Rookie-of-the-Year frontrunner Evan Mobley, dropping a triple double in the win.

But then he had to miss five games and his ROY momentum stalled while Mobley continued to play well, carrying his team to a tie for the 4th-seed in the Eastern Conference.

When you factor in team success, Mobley has the edge over Cade Cunningham for Rookie of the Year, but Cade still has 24 games to prove himself.

Although he needs to play consistently well in all of them to have a chance, there are seven games in particular that could ultimately decide the Rookie of the Year.

Detroit Pistons schedule: Most important games for Cade Cunningham and the Rookie of the Year race

These seven games aren’t going to get a ton of national attention but they will be crucial for the Rookie of the Year race.

• 2/24 vs. Cavaliers: Can Cade Cunningham best Mobley right out of the gate? This would be a good start to his campaign.
• 3/3 @ Toronto: Cade vs. Scottie Barnes, who is neck and neck with him for second position in the ROY race. The Pistons have owned the Raptors since Dwane Casey took over.
• 3/4 vs. Pacers: Second game of a back-to-back vs. top rookie Chris Duarte
• 3/17 @ Orlando: Cade Cunningham will take on Franz Wagner in a game that will be on NBA TV. Cade needs to dominate this matchup and separate himself from Wagner.
• 3/19 @ Cleveland: The final matchup between Cunningham and Mobley
• 4/1 @ Oklahoma City: Cade will take on fellow all-purpose point guard Josh Giddey.
• 4/3 @ Indiana: Two tankers going at it and trying to help their rookies

Some of these games could have playoff implications and the Detroit Pistons would love nothing more than to play spoiler to teams like Cleveland and Toronto, but all of them will help determine the Rookie of the Year race.

According to WynnBET, Cade Cunningham and Scottie Barnes are +900 to win the award while Evan Mobley is the solid favorite with -500 odds.

It’s going to be a tough climb for Cade to get there, but if he plays consistently down the stretch and dominates these matchups, he still has a solid chance.