After missing the Pistons’ last 11 games due to injury, Cade Cunningham is expected to make his return on Wednesday evening, per ESPN’s Vincent Goodwill. Cunningham is officially still listed as questionable to suit up against the Bucks.
In all honesty, Detroit really didn’t miss a beat without the former No. 1 overall pick, going 8-3 in his absence, and with two of those losses coming in overtime. As anticipated, Jalen Duren carried a large load with Cunningham sidelined, averaging 22.0 points and 10.4 rebounds per game while shooting 67.0% from the field. Daniss Jenkins was another man who stepped up in a massive way, producing 18.9 points and 7.6 assists in this 11-contest stretch. Jenkins had only started eight times in his career prior to Cunningham’s ailment.
With three games left in the regular season and the one-seed in the East locked up, the Pistons will likely be using the next few days as a ramp-up period for Cunningham’s conditioning. The guard had been logging 34.4 minutes per contest in 2025-26, averaging 24.5 points and 9.9 assists, along with a team-high 30.7% usage rate.
Even with Cade Cunningham likely at less than 100% effectiveness, the Pistons are monstrous 20.5-point favorites over a tanking and injury-plagued Bucks squad this evening. 91% of moneyline bets on the DraftKings Sportsbook are coming in on Detroit.
