Cade Cunningham is having arguably the best season of his career so far, as he leads the Detroit Pistons to the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference through 57 games. Shaquille O'Neal believes Cunningham deserves the MVP award because he is playing so well. Even higher than Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown.
During a segment on "ESPN Tip-Off," Shaq believed the 24-year-old guard is one of the most "complete" players in the league at the moment. The former veteran center turned NBA analyst likes the way Cunningham plays and believes he deserves the MVP trophy for helping make the Pistons a true contender once again.
"I watched [Cunningham] Play the next day, and he has a complete game," Shack said. "He does everything right. More often than not, he gets everything right all the time. The way he plays, his speed, how he's playing, and [the Pistons] Found that form. Kenny, you know what I'm talking about. Like, 'We're on a mission this year.'
"[Cade] Fixes everything. "Not right most of the time, but he gets everything right all the time."@SHAQ Discusses why he thinks Cade Cunningham should be MVP
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The fifth-year veteran earned his second All-Star award this season, as he has been one of the most efficient players in the league so far. Through 51 games played, Cade Cunningham has averaged 25.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, 9.8 assists (career-high), and 1.5 steals (career-high) per contest, while shooting 45.9% from the floor and 33.9% from beyond the three-point line.
Cunningham and the Pistons reached the playoffs last season, but were ultimately eliminated by the New York Knicks in the first round. This was the first playoff appearance for the franchise since the 2018–19 season. This year, Detroit is playing like they have something to prove, and the performance of Cade Cunningham is playing a big factor in their success.
