Detroit Pistons All-Star guard Cade Cunningham received a terrifying diagnosis on Thursday.
The Pistons announced that Cunningham, 24, suffered a left lung pneumothorix, otherwise known as a collapsed lung, against the Wizards on Tuesday. The team plans to re-evaluate him in two weeks. ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that Cunningham’s collapsed lung is “considered mild.”
ESPN relayed, “There is some optimism that Cunningham will be back in time for the start of the playoffs, which begin on April 18, sources told Charania.”
In the first quarter of Detroit’s win over Washington, Cunningham exited with what was initially called back spasms. He has averaged 24.5 points, 9.9 assists, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.1 steals this season.
The foremost concern is obviously Cunningham’s health. A far, far distant second is how this injury might impact Cunningham’s trophy case.
Cunningham has played in 61 regular-season games. If he remains out until the playoffs, he will not qualify for All-NBA or MVP honors. The NBA has employed a 65-game minimum to remain eligible for All-NBA, All-Defensive, Defensive Player of the Year, MVP, and Most Improved Player since the 2023-24 season. However, there is one loophole.
If a player misses out on 65 games played, he can still remain eligible for awards if “the player played in at least 62 regular-season games, suffered a season-ending injury, and played in at least 85% of the regular-season games played by his team prior to the player suffering said injury,” as relayed by ESPN’s Bobby Marks in October 2023.
Cunningham has played in 61 of 68 games for the 49-19 Pistons, which is 89.7%. So, if Cunningham had played one more game, he would still have a case for All-NBA or MVP. That is particularly brutal because Cunningham was viewed as a lock for the All-NBA First Team.
Cunningham almost assuredly cares more about the Pistons’ chances at winning the NBA Finals in June. Detroit has had a stranglehold on the Eastern Conference’s No. 1 seed all season. Without Cunningham, the Pistons will try to maintain their over second-seeded Boston (46-23) down the stretch. The NBA playoffs begin on April 18.