The Detroit Pistons have been the top team in the Eastern Conference for the entire season, and one of the reasons for that was because they are very healthy. Over the past week or so, he has suffered a few injuries, and the latest may be the biggest blow of them all. Cade Cunningham was diagnosed with lung damage, and is expected to be absent for an extended period of time.
This isn't the best news for the Pistons right now, especially with the regular season ending in about three weeks. There is no specific timetable for return, but there have been a number of athletes over the years who have had to deal with lung failure.
.@shamscharania It has been reported that Cade Cunningham will have to miss a long time due to lung failure. pic.twitter.com/8XG3uiglwp
- Get Up (@GetUpESPN) 19 March 2026
The most recent athlete was TJ Watt of the Pittsburgh Steelers, and he missed two games due to a collapsed lung following a dry needling procedure.
The latest basketball player to suffer from lung problems was CJ McCollum, and it happened twice in his career. In 2021, he missed six weeks, and in 2023, he missed three weeks. Injury analyst Jeff Stotts reports that the average basketball player with a collapsed lung is 26 days missed, which equates to about 10 games.
It is uncertain how serious the injury is to Cunningham, and the severity may depend on how much time he misses on the court.
Cunningham is averaging 24.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 9.9 assists per game, and he has been the engine of the team's success this season. For the Pistons, it will now be the next man up, and the guard will have to carry much of the load for now. This also means that the focus will be on Jalen Duren to carry the team forward for now.
It will also be interesting to see if the Pistons drop in the standings with about 15 games remaining in the season. The Boston Celtics are just 3.5 games back of the No. 1 seed, and they've been running back Jayson Tatum in the lineup for the past two weeks.
