There has been debate about whether Cade Cunningham is a deserving MVP candidate, but it might not matter, as he may win it by default just by playing 65 games.
As for the debate, Cade himself has weighed in and said he thinks he’s the MVP, and he certainly has a case just looking at the raw numbers. The eye test bolsters that case, as Cade is arguably the best defender of any of the MVP candidates not named Wembanyama and shoulders a larger burden as the only one without a consistent second option to lean on.
But It's hard to overlook the ridiculous scoring and shooting numbers SGA is putting up and we’ve gotten so used to Jokic’s excellence that we are no longer stunned by the fact that he’s averaging a triple double and is leading the league in assists and rebounds per game on 58/42/83 shooting splits.
I’d have both of those guys ahead of Cade and after the game last night, I’m not so sure Wembanyama didn’t nudge ahead of him.
But it may not matter, as all of those players are flirting with a rule the NBA is going to have to reconsider at some point.
Cade Cunningham could back his way into an MVP
Players have to appear in 65 games to be eligible for the MVP award, and the way things are going, Cade might be the only one left.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander can only miss six more games before he is no longer eligible to win his second straight MVP. Jokic can only miss one, Wembanyama four and Luka Doncic five more games before he is ineligible. Cade could potentially miss 11, though if he did, he'd likely be out of the running anyway.
Only Cade and SGA are currently on pace to reach the 65-game minimum, so most of the competition may not even be eligible.
I want Cade to win MVP, and I think he will at some point, but I don’t want it to be because he was the last man standing from a rule that punishes players for getting hurt.
It’s an arbitrary number anyway. Is SGA’s season not impressive if he plays 64 games instead of 65? Should we ignore the historic numbers Jokic is putting up if he only plays 63 games?
The league was trying to cut down on “load management” and we’re not seeing much of it these days, but can they not differentiate between that and a legit injury? Jokic had a hyperextended knee, he wasn’t sitting out because he didn’t feel like playing or was trying to rest.
My guess is that SGA will make the mark and win another MVP, which is fine, but the award is becoming more of a war of regular-season attrition rather than a debate about who is actually the best basketball player.
The 65-game rule could keep Wembanyama from every winning an MVP, as the Spurs are going to prioritize winning titles and keeping him healthy for the postseason.
Given the league is trying to push him as the “face of the NBA” (puke emoji), I do wonder if they will revisit this rule in the summer, possibly allowing some wiggle room for injuries deemed serious enough to keep players out for multiple weeks.