Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham has suffered a collapsed left lung and will be re-evaluated in two weeks. The injury occurred during Tuesday's win over the Washington Wizards, initially reported as a back contusion. The team hopes for his return in time for the playoffs starting April 18.
Detroit Pistons star Cade Cunningham was diagnosed with a left lung pneumothorax, or collapsed lung, the team announced on Thursday. He left the Pistons' win over the Washington Wizards on Tuesday after playing just 5:20 minutes. The injury happened early in the first quarter when Cunningham picked up Wizards rookie Tre Johnson III full-court, forced a loose ball, and Johnson crashed into his back. Cunningham grimaced, stayed on the ground briefly, and was helped up before exiting for good due to back spasms at the time, now revealed as more serious. The Pistons, at 49-19 atop the Eastern Conference with a 3½-game lead over the Boston Celtics and 14 games remaining, hold the tiebreaker over Boston and the New York Knicks. They have not had the East's No. 1 seed entering playoffs since 2007 or won a series since 2008. Cunningham averages 24.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, 9.9 assists (second in the NBA), and 1.5 steals per game this season, accounting for 35.4% of Detroit's points in 61 games played. He had fourth-best MVP odds at 60-1 before the injury. However, with only 61 games counting toward the NBA's 65-game awards threshold (Tuesday's partial game excluded), major honors now seem unlikely. Medical expert Dr. Juanita Mora, a Chicago-based physician, noted that for young athletes like Cunningham, this is often a mild case. 'These guys are so athletic, they can bounce back like crazy,' she told CBS Sports. 'In most cases... it's just air pressing on the lung... the lung has expanded on its own and just completely healed itself.' Past NBA cases include C.J. McCollum missing 18 and 12 games across two instances, Gerald Wallace seven games, and Terrence Jones six. The Pistons hope Cunningham returns after two weeks for a potential nine missed games.
