The Detroit Pistons are riding a five-game winning streak into Monday's contest against the San Antonio Spurs. Sitting at 42-13 and with a 5.5-game lead over the No. 2 seed in the East, the Pistons are in an excellent spot before the final stretch. They will be truly tested over the next ten days as they face a brutal schedule. How they fare in a six-game stretch that includes the Spurs twice, the Cavs twice, and the Thunder will not only send a message to the league, but it will also make or break Cade Cunningham's MVP candidacy.
For most of the season, Cunningham was lagging behind Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the MVP race. In recent weeks, however, things have shifted in a massive way. Jokic is now two missed games away from no longer being eligible for end-of-season awards. SGA has missed OKC's last seven games and remains sidelined with an abdominal injury. Plus, the Thunder no longer have the best record in the NBA as the Pistons have taken over with their recent surge.
Cade Cunningham's MVP Candidacy Will Be Battle-Tested in Next 6 Games
Among the MVP candidates, no one has played more games or minutes than Cunningham. Not only is he making an offensively limited Pistons team a top-10 offensive unit, but he is also one of the leaders of their elite defense. Very few superstars are as engaged on defense as Cunningham and have the two-way impact as he does. As a result, the Pistons have an impressive 11.6 net rating with Cunningham on the floor, per Cleaning The Glass.
Before the season, the Pistons' over/under was set at 46.5 wins. They are currently on pace to win 62 games. There are obviously many reasons behind this success, including JB Bickerstaff's coaching, Jalen Duren's improvement, and depth. Yet, looking at the Pistons' roster, it's hard to argue that the talent level is of a 60+ win team. Cunningham deserves the lion's share of credit there.
Per Tankathon, the Pistons have the seventh-hardest remaining schedule in the league based on their opponents' records. The bulk of the strength of the schedule comes from their games in the next two weeks. If the Pistons can go 4-2 or 5-1 in this stretch, the media narrative will shift entirely towards Cunningham. If the 24-year-old wants to win his first MVP award, he needs to make a statement against some of the best teams in the league. Pistons fans, pay attention, this will be fun to watch.