Cade Cunningham Diagnosed With Collapsed Lung, Set To Miss "Extended Period Of Time"

The NBA season is a marathon, not a sprint. This week, the Detroit Pistons were reminded of that reality at the expense of their franchise player.

On Thursday, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that Cade Cunningham is set to miss “an extended period of time” due to a collapsed lung. This news has massive implications for both the Pistons’ postseason prospects and Cunningham’s aspirations for individual awards.

Cunningham, who was drafted first overall by the Pistons in the 2021 NBA Draft, is the engine that drives this year’s dominant Detroit squad. Averaging 24.5 ppg on 46.1% FG shooting, along with 5.6 rpg, 9.9 apg, and 1.5 spg, Cunningham has led the charge as the Pistons soared to the top of the Eastern Conference standings.

How long will Cunningham be out, and where will the Pistons find the scoring and playmaking to fill the void? For starters, Detroit isn’t all that deep when it comes to the point guard position; it seems too much to ask of players like Daniss Jenkins and Kevin Huerter to fill in Cunningham’s shoes at this point. On the scoring end, the likes of Jalen Duren, Tobias Harris, and Duncan Robinson will have to get even more buckets if the team is to continue reigning atop the East.

As of Thursday, Cunningham has played 61 games for the Pistons this season. Can he play at least four more? That’s the magic number for the two-time All-Star if he wants to remain eligible for major accolades like NBA MVP and All-NBA selection. To say that it would be a bummer if Cunningham simply got ruled out of these awards would be an understatement.

Are the Pistons dead in the water? More details on Cunningham’s status could come out soon, but Charania has also reported that there is “optimism” that the 6-foot-6 court general will come back in time for the playoffs. Still, the Pistons will have to reconfigure on the fly as their main man deals with health issues at a most inopportune time.