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With the Detroit Pistons suddenly becoming NBA title contenders, their best player will be absent for the foreseeable future.
Cade Cunningham, who has thrown his name into the MVP conversation, has been diagnosed with a collapsed lung, according to ESPN, and is expected to miss an extended period of time.
The 24-year-old was the first overall pick five years ago out of Oklahoma State and has lived up to the hype, averaging 22.6 points, 7.9 assists and 5.4 rebounds per game for 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 reached another level in the last two seasons, being named an All-Star each time; last year he finished seventh in MVP voting. Since the start of the 2024-25 season, he has accumulated 25.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 9.5 assists per game.
Cunningham has seen the trials and tribulations of the Pistons, as he was just three seasons ago when they set the all-time 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 for an NBA coach in 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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But 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 from the East with a 49-19 record, good for a 3.5 game lead in the conference ahead of the Boston Celtics. The Knicks are five games behind.
The playoffs will begin on April 18, meaning Cunningham’s availability in the first round is certainly up in the air. To put it in context, CJ McCollum lost 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 the assumption is that if the Pistons make a run, Cunningham could return, but when certainly remains a question.
