Cade Cunningham finished second in APG (9.9) and assists per 36 (10.5) behind only Nikola Jokić in 2025-26

DETROIT — Oct. 15, 2026 — Cade Cunningham finished 2025-26 second in the NBA in assists per game at 9.9, behind only Nikola Jokić’s league-leading 10.7. On Basketball-Reference’s rate boards he sat in the same spot: 10.5 assists per 36 minutes (Jokić 11.1), 45.2 assist percentage (Jokić 50.3) and 14.1 assists per 100 possessions (Jokić 15.0). The counting total matched — 634 assists in 64 games, second to Jokić’s 697.

That package made Cunningham the clearest runner-up on every major assist leaderboard of the season. He started all 64 games he played for the Detroit Pistons, averaged 23.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 9.9 assists in 33.9 minutes, made All-NBA First Team and finished fifth in MVP voting. The assist gap to Jokić was eight-tenths of a dime a night; the gap to third place was much wider.

Second across the board

Jokić’s dual rebound and assist titles are a separate story. Cunningham’s 2025-26 mark is the rate-and-volume case for a full-time point guard who nearly matched the league’s assist king without leading in either category. Los Angeles’ Luka Dončić ranked third at 8.3 assists per game. James Harden sat fourth at 8.0 (557 total across two teams), and Atlanta’s Jalen Johnson fifth at 7.9.

• Assists per game, 2025-26: Jokić 10.7, Cunningham 9.9, Dončić 8.3, Harden 8.0, Jalen Johnson 7.9
• Total assists: Jokić 697, Cunningham 634, Jalen Johnson 566, Harden 557, Jamal Murray 535
• Assists per 36 minutes: Jokić 11.1, Cunningham 10.5, Isaiah Collier 10.0, Ryan Nembhard 9.7, LaMelo Ball 9.2
• Assist percentage: Jokić 50.3, Cunningham 45.2, Ball 42.6, Josh Giddey 41.1, Dončić 40.5
• Assists per 100 possessions: Jokić 15.0, Cunningham 14.1, Collier 13.1, Nembhard 12.7, Ball 12.6

Per 36 and per 100, Cunningham cleared every peer except Jokić. Collier’s 10.0 assists per 36 came in a smaller Utah role; Nembhard’s 9.7 was a Dallas reserve sample. Among high-minute primary creators, Cunningham and Jokić stood alone above 10 assists per 36.

What the full Pistons line looks like

Cunningham’s shooting split was .461 from the field, .342 from three and .812 at the line. True shooting landed at .564. His player efficiency rating was 21.6, with 7.9 win shares (4.2 offensive, 3.6 defensive), a 6.3 box plus-minus — sixth in the league — and 4.6 VORP. Usage sat at 30.5 percent, tenth league-wide, so the assist rate came without surrendering the scoring load.

• 2025-26 line: 64 games, 64 starts, 33.9 minutes, 23.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 9.9 assists, 1.4 steals, 0.8 blocks, 3.7 turnovers
• Totals: 2,172 minutes, 1,531 points, 355 rebounds, 634 assists, 92 steals, 236 turnovers
• Shooting: 548 of 1,189 (.461), 125 of 366 from three (.342), 310 of 382 free throws (.812)
• Per 36: 25.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, 10.5 assists, 1.5 steals, 3.9 turnovers
• Advanced: 30.5 usage, 45.2 assist percentage, 21.6 PER, .564 true shooting, 14.8 turnover percentage, 7.9 win shares, 6.3 BPM / 4.6 VORP
• Awards: All-Star, All-NBA First Team, fifth in MVP voting, fourth in Clutch Player of the Year

The turnover total (236, eighth league-wide) tracks the same hands-on role. At 3.7 per game and a 14.8 turnover percentage, the rate is ordinary for a 30-percent-usage point guard who also led Detroit in scoring.

Distinct from Jokić’s double crown

Jokić’s 12.9 rebounds and 10.7 assists per game made him the first player to lead the NBA in both categories in the same season. Cunningham’s story is narrower and still rare: a 24-year-old primary ball-handler who finished second across assists per game, total assists, assists per 36, assist percentage and assists per 100 — while averaging nearly 24 points and landing on All-NBA First Team. The Pistons’ offense ran through him; the league’s assist boards recorded how often that worked.

Why the runner-up mark matters for 2026-27

A point guard who sits eight-tenths of an assist behind the league leader and clears everyone else by more than a full assist a night is already operating near the top of the creation scale. Whether Detroit can keep Cunningham’s 9.9 assist rate while trimming the 3.7 turnovers — and whether anyone besides Jokić can close that half-assist gap — is the open question entering the new season. The 2025-26 tape is clear: when the Pistons needed a pass, Cunningham made it.