The Detroit Pistons‘ NBA championship aspirations may have taken a massive blow.
Superstar point guard Cade Cunningham was diagnosed with a collapsed lung, and there’s no timetable for his return or information about whether it’ll be this season, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
“Just in: Detroit Pistons star Cade Cunningham has been diagnosed with a collapsed lung and is expected to miss an extended period of time, sources tell ESPN,” Charania shared on his X account.
Cade Cunningham’s lung injury throws a wrench in the Pistons’ season
The former No. 1 pick left Tuesday’s matchup with the Washington Wizards early in the first quarter. He dove for a loose ball and was diagnosed with back spasms and didn’t return after that.
Cunningham is averaging a whopping 24.5 points, 9.9 assists and 5.6 rebounds per game on 46.1 percent from the field and 34.6 percent from three. He has played 61 games, just four short of the 65-game threshold to be eligible for All-NBA selections and major awards.
“There is some optimism that he’s going to be back for the playoffs,” Charania said on ESPN. “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.”
The Pistons are sitting in the top spot in the Eastern Conference, and losing their best player will be a tough blow with just a handful of games left in the regular season.
The Pistons are just 3.5 games ahead of the No. 2 seed Boston Celtics, and with Jayson Tatum back on the court, they might not be able to hold onto the top seed.