At a time when Europeans and other international players are becoming the faces of the NBA, Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green believes that a superstar is holding the line for American-born talents: Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham.
However, Green does not understand why the rest of the league does not see what he sees in the Arlington, Texas native.
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Like his comments about Jaylen Brown in early January, the former DPOY argued on “The Draymond Green Show” that Cunningham deserves to be higher in the MVP race. He has powered the Pistons to the best record in the Eastern Conference at 37-12.
“The reality is, we have an MVP candidate, an American-born MVP candidate in Cade Cunningham, that does not get the notoriety, does not get the publicity for being an MVP candidate,” Green said. “There’s no chance Cade Cunningham is not a top 3 MVP candidate in the NBA today.”
Cunningham’s numbers are legit
The Detroit point guard is averaging 25.3 points on 46.0 percent shooting from the field, 5.5 rebounds, a league-best 9.8 assists and 1.5 steals. With these numbers, he has been named an All-Star starter this season.
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Since the Pistons drafted him in 2021, Cunningham has been their difference-maker. Without him, the team would not be the contenders that it is today. How he leads the team both through his stellar play and his intangible qualities, like communication and accountability, has been key to their ascent over the past two seasons.
It is a testament to his value and more evidence for Green to support his case of Cade. Currently, he is sixth in the ladder, behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (first), Luka Doncic (second), Nikola Jokic (third), Victor Wembanyama (fourth) and Brown (fifth).
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From Nov. 22, 2025, to Dec. 28, 2025, Cunningham has been in the top five, rising as high as the fourth spot on Dec. 5, 2025. He fell out in January and has been a spot or two away from returning since, which should not be the case, according to Green.
“How is he not in the category for MVP?” Green said. “I don’t understand, but I think it’s now time that it changed because Cade Cunningham is as special of a player as we have in the league today.”
Green respects Cade’s growth
Following their games since their tumultuous five-season stretch of futility, punctuated by their 14-68 season in 2023-2024, the Michigan native told The Athletic’s Hunter Patterson that he is proud of the team’s growth, which would not have been possible without Cade’s resolve.
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Green likened him to the reigning MVP SGA back when the Thunder still had not found their championship form.
“He didn’t cry about the challenge. Didn’t cry about the process they were going through,” he said. “Stayed 10 toes down and look at him now. And I see that same thing coming from Cade Cunningham.”
Other than that, unlike his first few seasons, the five-year veteran is now elevating his teammates and getting them involved as much as he can. He helped build a winning culture in the Motor City – a hallmark of a bona fide MVP.
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“To watch someone take that next step and continue to build and grow, I respect that a lot,” the Warriors enforcer added.
Perhaps Green’s bias toward American stars is clouding his assessment, but the numbers don’t lie: Cunningham is a true MVP candidate. Green and the Warriors have faced him and the Detroit Pistons only once this season, but that’s all the time he needs to realize it.
However, winning the Michael Jordan trophy is far from Cunningham’s mind. His priority for this season remains the same: to win an NBA title and a Finals MVP trophy.
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This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Feb 5, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.