One of the more talented point guards in the league is now sidelined for weeks for the Detroit Pistons.
The Detroit Pistons received some scary news regarding star point guard Cade Cunningham, who was diagnosed with a collapsed lung and is expected to be sidelined for an extended period of time. The team announced that he has what’s known as a left lung pneumothorax, with a plan to reevaluate in two weeks. That puts Cunningham out for at least eight games for the Eastern Conference-leading Pistons. Moreover, it puts a lot of things up in the air for Cunningham regarding the MVP race, All-NBA teams, and Defensive Player of the Year, all of which carry a 65-game threshold. Cunningham exited Tuesday’s contest against the Washington Wizards after just five minutes with what Detroit called “back spasms” initially.
But because of that early exit, Cunningham must play in at least five more games to reach that minimum required threshold. After an electric season for the point guard, falling short – that closely – would simply be devastating. The 24-year-old is averaging 24.5 points and 9.9 assists, good for second most in the NBA, in 61 games this season. If he finishes the season with those numbers, he would be only the ninth player in NBA history to average that many points and assists, and the first for the franchise.
Here is the full story from Pistons Roundtable writer Eric Rutter on the devastating update and what it means for their playoff hopes.
Detroit enters Thursday’s game against the Wizards with a 49-19 record and a 3.5 game lead on the Boston Celtics at the top of the East. The team is 5-2 without Cunningham in the lineup this season, and they’ll have to hope that continues to grow in the left-hand column.