The Detroit Pistons lost Cade Cunningham five minutes into Tuesday night's win over the Washington Wizards. After colliding with rookie Tre Johnson going for a loose ball, Cunningham was ruled out for the rest of the game with back spasms. After the game, head coach JB Bickerstaff didn't provide an update on his superstar's condition, but the Pistons listed him as out for Thursday's rematch against Washington. The designation on the injury report was back contusion.
Therefore, Pistons fans weren't overly concerned about Cunningham or his availability moving forward. That is, until ESPN's Shams Charania reported the devastating news on Thursday morning. Per Charania, the 24-year-old guard "has been diagnosed with a collapsed lung and is expected to miss an extended period of time."
During his appearance on ESPN, Charania noted that the Pistons are unsure how long Cunningham will be out, but there is "some optimism" that he will be back for the playoffs.
Cade Cunningham Will Likely Miss Multiple Weeks
We are about a month away from the start of the NBA playoffs. The first round kicks off on April 18, and Cunningham's status is up in the air. This is a deeply disappointing development for Pistons fans, who are well on their way to earning the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference and hope to make a deep postseason run.
Collapsed lung, also known as pneumothorax, is a condition in which air leaks into the space between the lung and the chest wall, usually as a result of a traumatic injury. It causes sudden chest pain and shortness of breath, per Mayo Clinic, and can be a life-threatening event "on some occasions." Treatment can involve "inserting a needle or chest tube between the ribs to remove the excess air," while some cases can heal on their own.
Recently, shooting guard CJ McCollum was diagnosed with the same injury. Per Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors, McCollum missed 18 games over the course of six weeks in 2021 with a collapsed lung. Two years later, he was sidelined for over three weeks due to the issue, missing 12 games. Somewhere between those two timelines may be a reasonable recovery period for Cunningham.
The Pistons will likely give a more detailed explanation of Cunningham's status relatively soon. Pistons fans will be desperately holding their breath until hearing a positive injury update on their MVP candidate. Detroit has enough roster depth and cushion in the standings to withstand Cunningham's absence. The most important thing here, though, is that the star guard gets fully healthy without any lasting negative effects.