With the news of Jaden Ivey's injury, the Pistons will now rely even more on Cade Cunningham. He will be the focal point of the Pistons offense whenever he's on the court, and he's capable of putting up some crazy numbers. Cade may have some of the most eye-popping stats of any player in the NBA to start the season, and catapult his name into exclusive award talks.
Cade Cunningham has a chance to establish himself as an MVP candidate
Cade was always going to be the primary engine driving the Pistons, but Ivey's absence adds to his load even more. In Detroit's preseason finale, Duncan Robinson started in place of the injured Ivey to provide offensive support with his 3-point shooting and spacing. But it did leave Cade as the only reliable on-ball creator among the starting unit - which also consisted of Ausar Thompson, Tobias Harris and Jalen Duren.
Still, Cade was able to dominate with the balls in his hands, just as he did all preseason. It's clear that Cade has added strength over the offseason and is able to handle defensive pressure better compared to last season. Even when he was doubled or overly pressured during the preseason, he seemed unphased and was able to either find the open man or still score himself.
To start the season on the right foot, Cade will have to shine as the lone star and look like an MVP candidate in that role. He has offensive help on the team for sure but it will be his responsibility to set them up. Luckily, this is a role that Cade and team seem ready for, based on head coach JB Bickerstaff's comments. In training camp, Bickerstaff firmly expressed his confidence in Cade Cunningham and denied any notions of reducing his usage rate.
With this mindset and an advantageous schedule, Cade can really amplify his stats to start the season. In the first month of the season with Ivey out, the Pistons don't play many elite defenses. They do have matchups against the Rockets and Magic, two strong defensive units, in the first 5 games but largely have a forgiving opening stretch otherwise.
All things considered, I wouldn't be surprised to see Cade average close to 30 points and 10 assists per game to start the season. He's improved on every aspect of his offensive game, both in scoring and playmaking, and will now have the perfect opportunity to showcase his growth.
Of course, hitting such a milestone stat line should also elevate Cade into an early contender for league MVP. It's certainly not outside the realm of possibility, as Cade finished 7th in MVP voting last season and was the youngest of any top 10 finisher. He's set for an even bigger season soon and will have to hit the ground running.