Some major news out of Detroit with only about a month left in the regular season. According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Cade Cunningham has been diagnosed with a collapsed lung. He does not have a definitive timeline for return, yet he is expected to miss an “extended” period. The Pistons are currently the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference with a 3.5-game lead over the charging Celtics.
Cunningham was forced to leave Tuesday’s contest in Washington after just 5.3 minutes of action. Ironically, the former first-overall pick had become somewhat of a dark horse MVP candidate in 2025-26, though that was mostly predicated on his health and the possible lack of any other deserving players with 65 games under their belt. In his 61 starts this season, Cunningham is averaging 24.5 points and 9.9 assists with a team-high 30.5% usage rate.
It’s obviously unclear how long Cunningham will be sidelined, but what is clear is who will have to step-up in his absence. Jalen Duren scored 36 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in that aforementioned win over the Wizards, and the fourth-year big man will now need to learn how to be his squad’s primary offensive option. Without Cunningham on the floor this season, Duren is producing 27.3 points per 75 possessions. Tobias Harris and Marcus Sasser will also see their roles increase.
Meanwhile, the Pistons are still 14.5-point favorites on the DraftKings Sportsbook on Thursday night, despite the loss of their best player. However, in the futures world, the Pistons have since dropped from +2000 to +2500 to win the NBA Finals and from +400 to +700 to win the Eastern Conference.
