Back to today’s briefing

Story perspectives

Cade Cunningham Claims NBA's Best, Leads Pistons to Top

2/23/2026

38 9 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

Cade Cunningham of the Detroit Pistons told GQ in a feature he is the NBA's best American player.
He ranks third in MVP polls behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokic.
Cunningham leads the league in assists and has improved his shooting, hitting 44% of step-back threes.
His performance has made the Pistons the league's best team.
He remains underappreciated in MVP discussions, even though his per-game plus-minus is higher than Jokic's.

1 of 1

Story summary

Cade Cunningham of the Detroit Pistons told GQ in a feature he is the NBA's best American player.
He ranks third in MVP polls behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokic.
Cunningham leads the league in assists and has improved his shooting, hitting 44% of step-back threes.
His performance has made the Pistons the league's best team.
He remains underappreciated in MVP discussions, even though his per-game plus-minus is higher than Jokic's.