Cade Cunningham has been nothing short of brilliant in his two preseason games. He dominated both the Grizzlies and Bucks in the first halves of those games, and showed what he can do this season. Across the preseason, he leads the entire NBA in Player Efficiency Rating - an advanced metric that takes into account a player's production and efficieny. Cade is emerging in a huge way right now and showing the blueprint for one day becoming the league's very best player.
Cade Cunningham has no ceiling
In his preseason action, Cade has been unstoppable in every way. No defender has been able to keep him from scoring at any of the three levels, and he's also attacked his historical weaknesses such as rim finishing and turnovers. He was already a complete player before this season, but he looks like he can take the leap from having no weaknesses to genuinely excelling at every facet of the game.
Cade's improvements in efficiency and ball security have been arguably the most exciting aspects of his growth. These two areas were arguably the only things that held him back from replicating the impact of an MVP-level player like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, so improvements there can take him to a whole new level. If Cade is able to play at that high of a level consistently, the Pistons' ceiling as a team also increases significantly and other players are able to focus more on their own game rather than trying to support Cade.
It's worth noting that preseason performances are not necessarily an indicator of the best player in the league during the regular season. Several superstars don't take the preseason seriously or even miss the entire stretch with an injury. But Cade's focus in these seemingly meaningless games should carry over to further dominance once the regular season begins.
Many of the stars that are relaxing or missing games during the preseason are older than Cade, so it's not hard to imagine a season where he surpasses them as they age out of their primes. Among his peers and younger players who are also dominating the preseason, Cade has shined the brightest so far. And the most promising aspect is that he's sticking to the roadmap that's made him a superstar.
Cade's path to being one of the league's best players has always been great three-level scoring and playmaking while being good enough to contribute on an elite defense. This preseason has shown the value of this blueprint for Cade and the Pistons. He might not be as athletically gifted as Victor Wembanyama or Anthony Edwards, but Cade's all-around game can definitely crown him the league's very best one day.