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With the Detroit Pistons suddenly becoming an NBA title contender, their best player will be missing for the foreseeable future.
Cade Cunningham, who has put his name in the MVP conversation, has been diagnosed with a collapsed lung and is expected to miss an extended period of time, according to ESPN.
The 24-year-old was the first overall pick five years ago out of Oklahoma State and has lived up to the billing, averaging 22.6 points, 7.9 assists and 5.4 rebounds per game in his career.
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Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) looks on during the first half against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena. (Daniel Kucin Jr./Imagn Images)
However, he has hit another level the last two seasons, being named an All-Star each time – last year he finished seventh in the MVP voting. Since the start of the 2024–25 season, he has averaged 25.4 points, 5.8 boards and 9.5 assists per game.
Cunningham has seen the Pistons’ trials and tribulations as they were just three seasons ago, when they set the record for the longest losing streak in NBA history at 28 games and finished 14-68 under Monty Williams, who had just signed, at the time, the richest contract in NBA history.
Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) celebrates during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Indiana Pacers in Indianapolis, Monday, Nov. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
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However, the following season, the Pistons earned the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference before losing to the New York Knicks in the first round. However, they have taken the next step and are running away with the East with a 49-19 record, good for a 3.5 game lead in the conference ahead of the Boston Celtics. The Knicks have five games left.
The playoffs are set to begin on April 18, meaning Cunningham’s availability in the first round is certainly up in the air. For context, CJ McCollum missed about two months with the diagnosis in 2021 and about a month two years later.
Cade Cunningham of the Detroit Pistons handles the ball during the game against the Utah Jazz on December 21, 2023 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan. (Chris Schwegler/NBAE via Getty Images)
So it figures that if the Pistons make a run, Cunningham could return — but exactly when is still a question.
