No member of the Detroit Pistons has ever won MVP and Cade Cunningham hopes to change that.
Detroit Pistons fans are excited about the continued growth of their young core next season, but even the most optimistic are putting some sort of limit on the team and individual expectations for next season. However, Cade Cunningham is starting to be tossed around as a dark-horse MVP candidate for 2026 on social media. And here’s how he can win it.
Cade Cunningham can win the NBA MVP
Cade Cunningham will need to improve his own game a bit to legitimately be in MVP contention. Last year, he averaged 26 points, six rebounds and nine assists per game and some incremental improvement to 27/7/10 would really make his numbers pop for MVP voters. In an era where only 1-2 players are over 10 assists per game, averaging this kind of double-double would showcase a unique blend of scoring and playmaking.
Cade’s MVP candidacy will also depend heavily on team success. We have seen previous years where players won the MVP in a season that wasn’t their most statistically dominant but they had the most team success (see 2018 MVP James Harden vs 2019 36 PPG Harden). If the Pistons can finish as a surprise top-three seed in the Eastern Conference, that will elevate Cade in the individual accolades. There are things that he can do to make this more likely, such as improving his defense and limiting his turnovers, but team success will also depend a lot on the development of other players.
Finally, Cade will need some luck with other perennial MVP candidates. Cade’s best bet will be to stand out as a more well-rounded player than any of the usual suspects. For example, his assist numbers will far exceed those of last year’s winner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and third-place finisher Giannis Antetokounmpo. And if he can improve his defense enough to show a clear advantage on that end over 3-time MVP Nikola Jokic, he can win even more votes.
Cunningham is now on the national radar after making All-NBA last season, but it will take consistent team success for him to join the MVP conversation for real.
Cade may not necessarily be the best player in the league next year, but the most valuable player doesn’t always have to be that. With a great season for the Pistons and some team struggles for other top contenders, he might just find himself holding up the Michael Jordan trophy at the end of the year.