Cade Cunningham has caught the attention of many this season. For the most part of the 2025-26 season, Cunningham has efficiently led the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference, staying on top of the ladder.
As of this writing, the Pistons remain in first place in the East with a 49-19 record, which has a lot to do with the way Cunningham has performed so far this year. Having that in mind, former NBA player Patrick Beverley gave the Pistons star his flowers and compared him to Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Dončić.
Patrick Beverley Believes Cade Cunningham Is a More Athletic Version of Luka Dončić
In a recent episode of “The Pat Bev Show,” Beverley shared his opinion about Cunningham. The former NBA player believes that the Pistons star is on par with the likes of Dončić and could even be a better version of the Slovenian star.
Beverley thinks that Cunningham is a more athletic version of Dončić and is a more efficient player offensively.
“I think he’s the black version of Luka, the athletic version of Luka,” Beverley said about Cunningham. “The size, the (height), the body frame that he has, he’s able to put you on your hip when he runs pick & roll, he’s able to post you up, his pick & roll reads, his ability to get to the hole, and now his ability to shoot the jumpshot. I got Cade at 3 (in the MVP race).”
Patrick Beverley says Cade Cunningham is the “black version” of Luka Doncic 😳
“He’s the black version of Luka, the athletic version of Luka. The size, the 6’7 frame… his pick and roll reads, his ability to get to the hole. I got Cade at 3 [in my MVP race.]”
(Via @patbev21 ) pic.twitter.com/wHOxN5EN5y
— NBA Base (@TheNBABase) March 18, 2026
While there is no denying that Cunningham is a deserving candidate for the MVP award this season, his numbers compared to Dončić’s are a bit far apart. Cunningham is currently averaging 24.5 points, 9.9 assists, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.5 steals. Meanwhile, Dončić is putting up 32.9 points, 8.5 assists, 7.9 rebounds, and 1.5 steals.
Cunningham is fifth in the MVP race. His case is simply because he’s carried the Pistons all season long and has helped them maintain their spot in first place in the Eastern Conference.
As for Dončić, he’s above Cunningham by one place, sitting in fourth place. The Slovenian has been the Lakers’ ultimate leader in their six-game winning streak in March. The Lakers are now sitting comfortably in third place in the uber-competitive Western Conference.
