Detroit Pistons star Cade Cunningham is making the leap to certifiably elite status by dominating the fourth quarter. Cunningham already has the statistics to rank among the best in the NBA, but it's the way he's taken over games and led his team to wins that has fueled the leap in progress.
In the event that Cunningham sustains his late-game dominance across the entire 2025-26 season, he'll have a powerful case for becoming the first MVP in Pistons history.
It's difficult to believe that a franchise with such rich history could be devoid of an MVP, but it's the surprising truth of the Pistons organization.