Cade Cunningham has put himself right in the middle of the MVP conversation, and Thursday’s 52-point outburst made the case a lot louder.
In the Detroit Pistons’ 144-140 win over the Washington Wizards, Cunningham didn’t just score in bunches. He delivered a night that carved out a place in NBA history, becoming the first player ever to post 50 points and 10 assists without a turnover since turnovers started being tracked in 1977-78. That kind of clean, overwhelming production is exactly why his name belongs in the same breath as Luka Doncic and Victor Wembanyama, even if he’s still viewed as a dark horse behind them.
Cunningham finished 16-for-25 from the floor, hit 3-of-5 from 3-point range and went 17-for-18 at the line. The efficiency was just as impressive as the volume, especially for a player carrying so much of Detroit’s offense.
And that offense has been the engine behind the Pistons’ turnaround. Detroit is off to an 8-3 start, a stunning shift for a franchise that won only 14 games in 2023-24. Cunningham has been at the center of it all, and the numbers over the last stretch back that up: 25.0 points, 8.9 assists and 5.6 rebounds across two seasons and 11 games since that rough stretch.
His shooting has taken another step, too. Before this season, Cunningham’s field-goal percentage had hovered around 46%. Through 11 games this year, he’s up to a career-high 48.5% while averaging 34.5 minutes per game and taking 16 shots a night.
What stands out beyond the scoring is how much better he’s making everyone around him. Detroit came into the summer needing another reliable scorer, but the current group has found its footing anyway. Daniss Jenkins and Paul Reed are contributing, John Collins has settled in nicely, and Ausar Thompson recorded his first career triple-double Thursday against Washington.
Cunningham’s confidence is a big part of what makes him so dangerous. He had managed just 31 combined points in his previous two games against the Lakers and the earlier meeting with the Wizards, then turned around and delivered a career night in the rematch.
That said, the MVP race doesn’t get settled by one game. Sustaining this level of production across 82 games is the challenge if he’s going to close the gap on Wembanyama and Doncic. Still, Cunningham has been building toward this for a while, and Thursday was another reminder that he’s not just in the discussion - he’s forcing his way deeper into it.
There’s also the durability angle. Last season, before the playoffs, Cunningham dealt with a collapsed lung.
Before that scare in March, he was already being talked about as a leading MVP contender. His strong start this season suggests he’s fully back, and maybe even better than before.
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For the Pistons, the immediate concern appears to be more relief than alarm. Detroit has already completed its travel and is at its destination, so there are no immediate issues reported on that front, unlike some of the other teams caught in the same web of delays. Still, it is the kind of air-travel headache that can complicate an already tight schedule if the grounding lingers or starts to spread into the next round of team movement. [Read more 🡒]
Jalen Durens Return Puts Pistons Frontcourt Roles In Flux
Jalen Duren is back on the court in basketball activities, and the next checkpoint for the Pistons arrives Nov. 22, when he is scheduled for a re-evaluation. For Detroit, the timing matters because Durens return is expected to reshape a frontcourt that has been sorting through different looks while hes been out, with J.B. Bickerstaff preparing to rework the rotation once the young center is cleared to ramp up again.
Paul Reed is slated to slide back into a backup center role, while John Collins should settle back at power forward, restoring a more natural alignment for the group. Tolu Smiths minutes are also expected to shrink as Duren and Reed reclaim the primary center duties, leaving the Pistons with a frontcourt that suddenly has more bodies and a lot more decisions to make. [Read more 🡒]