After spending the last few weeks worried about potentially missing out on NBA awards, Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham received some great news on Thursday.
Despite playing in fewer than 65 games, Cunningham will be eligible on award ballots. The NBA made a statement regarding Cunningham and Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic.
Official statement from the NBA and NBPA: “Cunningham played in 63 qualified games due in part to missing 12 games as a result of a collapsed lung that was diagnosed on March 17. … The NBPA agreed that, taking into account the totality of the circumstances for Cunningham and Doncic, each player qualified for awards under the extraordinary circumstances provision in the CBA.”
Now that Cunningham qualifies, what are his current odds of winning an MVP award?
Cade Cunningham Is Still A Longshot
While Cunningham might get some love on the final ballot, sportsbooks aren’t confident in his chances of being the favorite for the Most Valuable Player award. At this point, that shouldn’t come as a shock.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the heavy favorite. Most major sportsbooks have his line set between -180 and -250.
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic typically comes in at second, with a +300 line.
Cade Cunningham is in the same boat as players such as Luka Doncic, Victor Wembanyama, and Jaylen Brown. He’s in the conversation, but not quite there.
Recent odds at DraftKings and FanDuel set Cunningham at +1400.
This season, Cunningham averaged 33.9 minutes of playing time across 64 games. He shot 46.1% from the field and 34.2% from three, scoring 23.9 points per game.
The two-time All-Star produced 23.9 points per game, along with 9.9 assists per game. He also came down with 5.5 rebounds per game.
If MVP isn’t in the cards for Cunningham, at least All-NBA should be. Last season, Cunningham had a career year, averaging 26.1 points and 9.1 assists, and he finished third-team All-NBA.
Cunningham was also top 10 in MVP voting, and was in the hunt for most improved. The season might’ve ended on a low note for Cunningham personally, as the injury took away some of his momentum. However, Cunningham has a chance to lead the Pistons through the NBA Playoffs as the first seed. There is still plenty more to accomplish.