Detroit Pistons star Cade Cunningham is set to spend an extended period of time on the sidelines after suffering a concerning health scare.
The guard, 24, exited Tuesday’s game against the Washington Wizards and was set to miss the rematch on Thursday night with what was described at the time as a lower back injury.
However, it has now emerged that Cunningham, an MVP candidate, has been diagnosed with a collapsed lung that will keep him off the court for an indefinite period of time, according to ESPN.
It is currently unclear when Cunningham suffered the injury. However, his early exit from Tuesday’s game came after he fell to the floor.
Cunningham attempted to scoop up a loose ball when he suffered a hard fall to the court in the first quarter. The 2021 No. 1 overall draft pick took a while to get up but played for a few more minutes before being taken out at the 6:40 mark.
He was initially diagnosed with back spasms after leaving the game, before the collapsed lung diagnosis was reported on Thursday. It is not known if the two are linked.
Detroit Pistons star Cade Cunningham has reportedly suffered a collapsed lung
The 24-year-old guard is one of the leading candidates for this season’s MVP
Cunningham is averaging 25 points, 10 assists and 5.6 rebounds this season. He had six points and two rebounds in 5 minutes, 20 seconds on Tuesday night before leaving the game.
Cunningham has played in 61 games this season, leaving him short of the All-NBA criteria. A player must appear in 65 games to qualify for major postseason awards like MVP and All-NBA teams.
NBA insider Shams Charania eased fans’ concerns when he revealed on Get Up! that Cunningham is dealing with a ‘mild’ case.
‘The Pistons are not quite sure exactly how long it could be,’ he said of Cunningham’s expected break from basketball, while adding that a return for the postseason hadn’t been ruled out.
‘Could be a period of weeks… Obviously, the playoffs are about a month away. There is some optimism that he’s going to be back for the playoffs, but this is a situation now, an injury that he’s going to be fighting, rehabbing.
‘The Pistons, their doctors, their medical staff. They’re all going to work together to get more information in the next few days, as far as treatment and potential recovery here.’
Cunningham has led the Pistons to the top of te Eastern Conference this season
With a timeline for his return in doubt, Cunningham’s injury comes as a major blow to the Pistons, who top the Eastern Conference with just 14 regular season games remaining.
Detroit has a 3.5-game lead for the No. 1 seed ahead of the Boston Celtics, who recently welcomed back superstar Jayson Tatum to the fold.
Cunningham has been the engine fueling the Pistons’ success this season and without him their narrow lead could be put at risk.
At the very least, the franchise will be hoping that he will be back in time for the NBA playoffs as the Pistons target a return to the finals for the first time since 2005.
