Cade Cunningham has put himself in the early MVP mix, and the case is starting to look real.
Through the first eight games, the Detroit Pistons star has been the engine behind a team that has had to adjust to a very different look this season. Even with that shift in identity and style, Detroit has kept the defensive edge that has made it such a difficult group to handle, and Cunningham has remained the centerpiece of it all.
The production is there, and it comes in a way that makes him hard to game-plan for. Cunningham is averaging 24.0 points and 7.6 assists per game, giving the Pistons both a scorer and a creator at the same time.
He can punish defenders in isolation with his footwork and shot-making from the mid-range, knock down contested catch-and-shoot threes, and use his 6’6” frame to get downhill, absorb contact, and finish inside. That kind of three-level scoring makes him a constant problem.
His defense is making a case of its own. Cunningham is averaging career highs of 1.13 blocks and 1.63 steals per game, and his length lets him defend multiple spots, bother pick-and-roll action, and offer help at the rim on the perimeter. It’s the kind of two-way impact that gives his overall profile real weight.
The efficiency has climbed, too. Cunningham is shooting 47.2% from the field, and that jump has come from cutting down on forced shots while taking advantage of drive-and-kick chances with John Collins and Isaiah Joe. The result is a player whose numbers finally line up with the talent.
There’s also a sense that he’s operating with more control now. After leading the Pistons to the No.1 seed in the East last year, Cunningham dealt with an injury setback just before the playoffs, then had to carry a heavy postseason load coming off that injury. This season, he looks sharper and more dangerous.
It’s still early, and the season is a long one. But Cunningham has done enough already to put his name where it belongs: in the MVP conversation.
In Other News...
Pistons May Be Near One Costly Decision On Their Title Push
The Knicks aggressive move for Mikal Bridges is a reminder of how quickly a contender can change its ceiling when it is willing to pay a steep price. For the Pistons, that kind of example matters now more than ever, because Detroit is no longer in the stage of simply collecting young talent and waiting for it to bloom. The front office has to think about how to turn a promising core into a team that can actually survive the postseason grind.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker has emerged as the sort of target that can tempt a team into making that leap, thanks to his performance and the way he could fit alongside Detroits roster. But the same kind of deal that can accelerate a title push can also leave a franchise thin on future flexibility, and that is the tension hanging over any discussion of a move like this. For now, it is only a possibility, but it is the sort of possibility that forces a serious team to weigh urgency against cost. [Read more 🡒]
Pistons Fans Have A New Reason To Revisit That Embiid Ending
The Pistons left Philadelphia with a 112-106 loss, but the final minutes offered plenty for Detroit fans to replay. Joel Embiid was assessed a flagrant foul penalty 1 after kicking Cade Cunningham in the groin, and the sequence also brought a technical foul for shoving another player, turning an already physical game into one that ended with plenty of frustration on the Detroit side.
Embiid still filled the box score in a big way, finishing with 26 points and 15 rebounds in a double-double that added another line to his long list of dominant nights. It was his 61st game with at least 25 points and 15 rebounds, the second-most in 76ers history, but for Pistons fans the lasting memory from this one is likely to be the confrontation, not the production. [Read more 🡒]
Ausar Thompson Is Giving The Pistons A New Reason For Optimism
The Pistons came up short in a tight loss to the 76ers, but Ausar Thompson gave them something to take from the night beyond the final score. He was more aggressive than usual, putting up a season high in field goal attempts while contributing in points, rebounds, assists and steals, a reminder that his impact is starting to stretch beyond the defensive end.
What stood out most was the way Thompson kept pressing offensively while still looking efficient doing it, including better work at the free throw line. For a Detroit team that has already shown it can compete early, that kind of growth from Thompson gives the Pistons another reason to believe his role can keep expanding even as he continues to work through the usual growing pains. [Read more 🡒]