2025-26 Season
CADE CUNNINGHAM
2025-26 Season
CADE CUNNINGHAM
Cunningham produces at an elite rate for a 35-minute workload.
Cunningham produces at an elite rate for a 35-minute workload.
PBP Credit: Every play is analyzed from play-by-play data. Scorers get difficulty-adjusted credit, assisters get creation value based on the shot opportunity they created, and turnovers are classified by type. Shot difficulty is derived from 1M+ shots across 4 seasons. Full methodology
TEAM COMPARISON
of 15 teammates (10+ games, 10+ min)
Similar Players
Same position, closest production profile this season.
SKILL DNA
Percentile rank vs 246 Guards with 10+ games
ON / OFF COURT
DET performance per 100 possessions with Cunningham on vs off the floor · 3,175 poss on, 3,301 off
THE SEASON SO FAR
Cade Cunningham’s opening stretch of the 2025-26 season was defined by a messy but brilliant evolution from an inefficient volume shooter into a gritty, all-around possession winner. Early on, his counting stats masked underlying flaws, like on 10/24 vs HOU where he posted 21 points and 9 assists but registered a -3.3 Impact. That negative mark stemmed from hidden costs, as poor defensive effort and sloppy execution bled away the actual value of his scoring. He quickly flipped the script with an utterly absurd marathon on 11/11 vs WAS. Cunningham needed a staggering 45 field goal attempts to reach 46 points, yet he walked away with a massive +41.9 Impact. Rather than letting his broken jumper sink the team, he bullied his way to value through sheer force of will, using relentless hustle plays, 12 rebounds, and suffocating defensive disruption to control the floor. He later showed he could thrive without forcing shots at all, logging just 18 points on 12/02 vs ATL. By locking in defensively and operating as a pure facilitator to the tune of eight assists, he generated a +13.1 Impact, winning the game with high-IQ basketball instead of brute force.
This midseason stretch was defined by Cunningham's evolution into a relentless maestro who dictated the pace of every game through his passing. He completely dismantled the defense on 12/27 vs UTA. Pairing 29 points with a brilliant 17 assists, he generated a massive +20.5 impact score by creating endless easy looks for his teammates. Even when he took a backseat as a scorer on 02/01 vs BKN, his 18 points yielded a staggering +24.7 impact score. That elite mark stemmed from his hyper-efficient 7-for-11 shooting and 12 assists, a clear indicator that his pure facilitation can carry an offense. However, his volume-heavy approach occasionally crashed hard. During an ugly outing on 01/16 vs PHX, Cunningham stumbled to a dismal -15.7 impact score. Despite tallying 11 assists, his atrocious 3-for-16 shooting and 0-for-7 brickfest from deep actively derailed possessions and dragged the entire unit down.
This midseason run marked Cunningham’s volatile transition into a pure, high-volume offensive maestro. He operated as an unstoppable engine during the 02/19 vs NYK matchup, hanging 42 points and 13 assists on the defense to generate a staggering +37.4 impact score. But giving him the ultimate green light occasionally backfired. Look at the 02/23 vs SAS game, where he clanked his way to 16 points on a brutal 5-of-26 shooting performance. That miserable shot selection and the resulting wasted possessions dragged his impact down to a -3.6 for the night. Fortunately, he is learning how to salvage his value when the jumper fails him. During the 03/12 vs PHI contest, Cunningham attempted just six field goals for 8 points but still managed a +1.6 impact by pivoting entirely to facilitation and racking up 13 assists to keep the offense humming.
IMPACT TIMELINE
Game-by-game performance vs average. Green = above average, red = below.
Very consistent. Cunningham posts positive impact in 87% of games — you almost always get a productive night. Scoring varies by ~9 points, but the overall contribution stays positive.
Middle-of-the-road efficiency — shoots 45%+ from the field in 56% of games. Not automatic, but not a problem either.
Defensive difference-maker. Cunningham consistently forces tough shots and protects the rim — opponents shoot worse when he's guarding them.
Small downward trend. First-half impact: +14.3, second-half: +12.1. Not alarming yet, but trending the wrong direction.
Tends to go on runs. Longest hot streak: 29 games. Longest cold streak: 1 games.
MATCHUP HISTORY ⚠ Updated 20 days ago
Based on 74 games with tracking data. Shows who guarded this player on offense and who he guarded on defense, with their shooting stats in those matchups.
ON OFFENSE: WHO GUARDED HIM
His shooting stats against each primary defender this season
ON DEFENSE: WHO HE GUARDED
How opponents shot when he was the primary defender. Lower FG% = better defense.
SEASON STATS
GAME LOG
76 games played
