Pistons star Cade Cunningham suffered a “mild” collapsed lung that is expected to sideline him for an “extended” stretch, according to ESPN.
The franchise reportedly is unsure how much time the 24-year-old star will miss, with the first round of the NBA playoffs beginning April 18, but there is optimism he could be ready for the start of the postseason.
Cunningham, the former No. 1 pick, is an MVP candidate and has led the Pistons to an Eastern Conference-best 49-19 record.
He’s averaging 24.5 points, 9.9 assists and 5.6 rebounds per game, and earlier this year made his second straight All-Star team.
Cunningham last played Tuesday against the Wizards, exiting the game in the first quarter with what the team described as back spasms after diving for a loose ball.
Should he not return during the regular season, Cunningham would fall short of the NBA’s 65-game minimum to qualify for awards.
His stats have him in the mix for NBA MVP, although he’s a long shot to best heavy favorite and reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Thunder.
If Cunningham is unable to return this season, it would be a massive blow for a franchise with a legitimate possibility of returning to its first NBA Finals since 2005 and winning its first playoff series since 2008.
The Pistons have a 3 1/2 game lead — four in the loss column — over the Celtics for the top seed in the East, and are five games ahead of the third-place Knicks.
Detroit’s odds to win the Eastern Conference have massively dropped since this development, though, with the Pistons now sitting at +700 at DraftKings.
The Celtics (+160), Cavaliers (+330) and Knicks (+370) all sit well clear of them.
Cunningham, in his fifth season, guided the Pistons to their first playoff appearance in six seasons last year, falling to the Knicks in six games in a tense first-round series.
The Pistons last won a playoff series in 2008, which proved to be the last of six straight runs to to the Eastern Conference finals.
They have lost five straight playoff series.
