Cade Cunningham and the Detroit Pistons were having a dream season just a few weeks ago.
The Pistons, who led the Eastern Conference and briefly the NBA, began to struggle after Cunningham’s injury threatened their season.
What Happened to Pistons Guard Cade Cunningham?
With his standout performance, Cunningham’s on-court impact this season has been significant.
The 24-year-old from Oklahoma State is averaging 24.5 points, 9.9 assists, and 5.6 rebounds, making him an MVP candidate.
During a win over the Wizards on March 17, Cunningham suffered a left lung pneumothorax (collapsed lung) after colliding with Tre Johnson and did not return.
Early speculation is that Cunningham will miss at least two weeks, possibly more.
At 52-19, the Pistons lead the East by five games over the Celtics and Knicks with 11 games left.
The Detroit Free Press spoke with Dr. Panagis Galiatsatos, a pulmonologist at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore.
“How you fix it just depends on the severity and what it’s causing, but often times what we do is we put a chest tube in, we remove the air, allows the lung to re-inflate because there’s no air pushing it down, and then we let the hole in the lung kind of seal itself,” Galiatsatos said.
“If you’ve got a cut today from a scape and I throw a Band-Aid on you, your body will take care of healing it. So we don’t go in and fix the hole. We just let the lungs heal themselves. We keep usually a chest tube in you so the air can leave and not stay there keeping the lung collapsed.”
If the hole doesn’t heal, surgery may be needed, sidelining Cunningham longer.
The Free Press reports that the average time lost for an NBA player is 26 days.
This injury could also end Cunningham’s MVP chances, as he still needs to play 65 games to qualify for major NBA awards, something the NBPA is not pleased with.
“Cade Cunningham’s potential ineligibility for postseason awards after a career-defining season is a clear indictment of the 65-game rule and yet another example of why it must be abolished or reformed to create an exception for significant injuries. Since its implementation, far too many deserving players have been unfairly disqualified from end-of-season honors by this arbitrary and overly rigid quota.”
Cunningham’s agent has also argued he should still receive postseason recognition.
Cunningham will miss Wednesday’s game as Detroit hosts surging Atlanta, which has won 11 straight and is now sixth in the East.
Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET, and the game will air on ESPN.
