Before the season began, most expected Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham to run away with the Rookie of the Year award. After his stint at Oklahoma State, analysts were raving about his maturity and talent. But as the season began, he missed some time and Evan Mobley 0f the Cleveland Cavaliers overtook Cunningham.

Still, the season is relatively young, so there is still time to play. Mobley is playing well, but Cunningham should still be considered in the running for the trophy.

2 reasons why Cade Cunningham is still Rookie of the Year contender 

2. Statistics put into context

Cunningham is doing well for the Pistons. Of course, Mobley and the Cavaliers are still doing better, record-wise, but Cunningham is in a different situation altogether. When it comes to pure statistics, they are quite similar. Cunningham is averaging 16.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 1.3 steals, shooting 40% from the field, and 32.8% from three-point land. On the other hand, Mobley is averaging 15.0 points, 8.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.7 blocks, shooting 50.8% from the field and 30.5% from behind the arc.

A slight edge could be given to Cunningham here. He has more points and assists, while also catching a fair number of rebounds for a guard. The efficiency numbers are better for Mobley, but Cunningham takes three more shots from the field and more shots from deep. He also shoots a better percentage from the stripe, as the Pistons guard converts on 85% of his free throw attempts, while Mobley shoots only 67.6%. However, the advantage for Cunningham increases when the proper context is taken into consideration.

In all reality, Cunningham really does not have many great teammates. He has Jerami Grant, who might be on his way out soon. There is also Saddiq Bey, who is a good prospect. There are a few more potential role players in the future, but the Pistons still have a horrid team and that is why they only have 12 wins on the season. Mobley, meanwhile, has a great team, even with the injuries the Cavaliers have had this season. Kevin Love, Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen, among others, are still there and still healthy.

Putting up the numbers that they have, they might look very similar. But a deep dive into the numbers, considering the quality of their teams, speaks a different story. Cunningham has a usage rate of 26.1%, grabs 16.2% of the Pistons' defensive boards, and has 28.2% of their assists. Mobley has a 19.8% usage rate, 19.2% of the Cavaliers' defensive rebounds, and 11.7% of his team's assists. Clearly, while they have a much worse record, Cade Cunningham is more impactful on the Pistons than Evan Mobley is for the Cavaliers.

1. Team records do not matter much

The Rookie of the Year plum is for rookies, meaning that the best ones usually do not go to the best teams. Thus, team records have not always had a great impact on who will get the award. The 11-37 record of the Pistons should not worry Cunningham that much in his quest for the ROTY trophy. There was the freak case of Donovan Mitchell against Ben Simmons in 2018. Still, even with Mobley's Cavaliers being exceptional this season, it should not matter much.

What usually matters is how the player looks and it seems like both are passing the eye test. Cunningham's games, however, should be worth more, due to a lot of the reasons mentioned above. He needs to be a facilitator in a team where, realistically speaking, he might be the best player already, apart from Grant. He handles the playmaking and scoring duties and has done well. Mobley also does a lot for the Cavaliers, obviously, but handles much less responsibility and that will impact his Rookie of the Year case.

Cunningham is also making the Pistons a better team. According to StatMuse, the Pistons only won once in the nine games their young guard missed. In the 39 outings he played, they have 10 wins, and while that is not a huge amount, it is still much better than the record without him. They score more points, shoot a better percentage from the field, have more assists, and have fewer turnovers.

Regardless of who wins out of Cade Cunningham or Evan Mobley, or if someone out of the blue surprises with a victory, there will be no wrong choice. However, it would be wrong to say that Mobley has the ROTY race under control. Cunningham still has over 30 games to further prove why he should be in the running.