The Detroit Pistons are amid a critical stretch following the lung injury of Cade Cunningham. He will be reevaluated in two weeks and is expected to miss at least eight games.
The Pistons did not miss him a lot in their win over the Washington Wizards, 117-95, at Capital One Arena on Thursday. They improved to 50-19, reaching 50 wins for the first time after 18 years.
While fans are deeply concerned about missing Cunningham for an extended period, ESPN's Brian Windhorst said there is no need to press the panic button.
“The good news is they got a four-game lead in the Eastern Conference standings for the one seed. I do think seeding is less important this year than health, obviously, but the Pistons worked very hard. It would be terrific if they could get the one seed so they have some cushion there. They’ve played okay without Cade, they’re 5-2 without him,” said Windhorst.
“There are some tankers left on that schedule. There are some tough games, no doubt, but they should get some wins.”
Windhorst also floated the possibility of the 24-year-old guard returning earlier than the given timeline.
“When the Pistons announced this injury, they did not announce a rib injury. Now, maybe they’re not giving it all, but if he avoided a major rib injury, that could potentially be more positive for him to come back on the shorter time frame,” noted Windhorst.
The team's next five assignments are not exactly a walk in the park: Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, Atlanta Hawks, New Orleans Pelicans, and Minnesota Timberwolves.
Cunningham, who is in danger of being ineligible for individual awards, is averaging 24.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, and career-highs of 9.9 assists and 1.5 steals.
Jalen Duren led Detroit against the Wizards with 24 points, 11 rebounds, and two steals.
