Cade Cunningham injury update: The Detroit Pistons were dealt with some bad news, only weeks ahead of the 2026 playoffs. Their All-Star guard has been diagnosed with a collapsed left lung and will be evaluated in two weeks, the team said on Thursday. The exact timeline for a return to play is still unknown. But experts now say that the 24-year-old’s injury is not as bad as it seems.
Cunningham is one of the top stars for Pistons this year. He is averaging 24.5 points and 9.9 assists. The team had listed him as out for Thursday’s game in Washington with a left back contusion. But they later added that further testing revealed the lung issue. The guard got injured in Tuesday’s win. He left midway through the opening quarter with what the team called back spasms. He dove for a loose ball and collided into Wizards guard Tre Johnson with 7:44 left in the first, then seemed to be laboring until he checked out 1:04 later.
Experts weigh in on Cade Cunningham’s injury return
How long will Cade Cunningham be out? When will he return? Experts have finally answered these questions.
Dr Juanita Mora, a physician and member of the American Lung Association board of directors, told CBS Sports that Cunningham can bounce back soon.
“Unless there are underlying risk factors like heart disease or anything else that may make them more prone to other complications, these guys are so athletic, and their lung capacity is such that they can bounce back like crazy,” she said.
Talking about the specific injury, Mora added: “It’s just air pressing on the lung. For [Cunningham], this sounds like a mild case. So it’s usually outpatient. You’re just going to follow it, make sure the symptoms [shortness of breath, chest pain, back pain] aren’t getting worse. If symptoms are not getting worse, you follow up in two weeks and see if the lung has expanded on its own and just completely healed itself, which in a young man like him, who is healthy and normal, is most likely the scenario that’s going to occur. The body is going to heal on its own.”
During the 2008–09 season, Gerald Wallace required a chest tube for his collapsed lung, but missed only seven games. Similarly, Terrence Jones was sidelined for just six games with the same condition during the 2014–15 campaign.
CJ McCollum, who has dealt with a collapsed lung twice, missed 41 days and 18 games during his first incident in 2021 while with the Portland Trail Blazers. In 2023, while playing for New Orleans, he returned more quickly, missing 22 days and 12 games.
Cade Cunningham, as per the latest Pistons update, might miss approximately nine games. He could still meet the 65-game eligibility threshold for awards such as All-NBA and have a handful of regular-season games to regain rhythm before the playoffs.
If Cunningham were to miss closer to 40 days, similar to McCollum’s first recovery, he could be sidelined through April and potentially miss the entire first round of the postseason.
