The serious injury of Cade Cunningham and the real danger of missing the playoffs

Diego Jiménez Rubio - 19 Mar 2026
Cade Cunningham NBA detroit pistons
Go to comments section Preferir Blogdebasket en Google
Cade Cunningham, serious injury. Photo: gettyimages

Cade Cunningham will be out for an undetermined period due to a collapsed lung. The Detroit Pistons star doesn't have much time to recover and get into the playoffs in top form with the necessary competitive rhythm to contend for the title with the current leaders of the Eastern Conference.

Unease, concern, alarm. That's the atmosphere surrounding the Detroit Pistons after the news broke that Cade Cunningham has suffered a collapsed lung, a serious injury that will keep him off the court for an indefinite period. Without their shining beacon, it's hard to imagine the team, but they will have to manage to maintain their top spot in the Eastern Conference and hope for his swift recovery heading into the postseason.

Although there are 14 games left in the regular season for the Detroit Pistons and a month until the playoffs begin, an extended absence, as expected with such an injury, could jeopardize Cade Cunningham's chances for end-of-season awards (having played 61 games), weaken his team, causing them to lose momentum and drop in the NBA and Eastern Conference rankings, and potentially hinder his postseason participation.

Considering the recovery times of other players with similar injuries, there are clear variations. McCollum once missed 18 games on one occasion with this ailment, enduring 6 weeks without competing and then struggling to return to competition with the necessary rhythm, especially for playoffs. In essence, it's a major setback for the Detroit Pistons with Cade Cunningham's unfortunate injury.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, La grave lesión de Cade Cunningham y el peligro real de perderse los playoffs