Pistons’ Cade Cunningham diagnosed with collapsed lung, will be re-evaluated in 2 weeks

WASHINGTON — Detroit Pistons All-Star Cade Cunningham has been diagnosed with a collapsed left lung and will be re-evaluated in two weeks, the team announced Thursday.

Cunningham, 24, was initially ruled out of Tuesday’s game against the Washington Wizards with back spasms after colliding with Wizards rookie Tre Johnson when the two were attempting to corral a loose ball in the first quarter. On Wednesday, the Pistons ruled him out of Thursday’s game with a left back contusion, but further testing revealed that Cunningham had a collapsed lung. During the evaluation process, Cunningham will miss at least the Pistons’ next eight games.

At Detroit’s shootaround Thursday, forward Ausar Thompson told The Athletic that, despite Cunningham’s absence, the Pistons need to continue to do what they’ve done all season long.

“Play hard, play the coaches’ game plan and probably know that (with) our best player out, we’ve got to move the ball a little more and know not one person could win it (on his own), but we all can collectively,” Thompson said.

Cunningham’s diagnosis is a major blow to a Detroit team already missing a key player in big man Isaiah Stewart, who’s nursing a left calf strain and will be re-evaluated on Tuesday. Cunningham’s contributions can’t be replicated, but the Pistons have relied heavily upon their depth all season. This will be another stretch when they’ll be forced to do so to maintain their top spot in the Eastern Conference.

“All year, we’ve shown that we have the depth of a group that can win basketball games, just based upon our physicality, style, how hard we play,” Pistons forward Tobias Harris told The Athletic. “So, I think, obviously, we want him to be in the best of health. Until he gets back, we’ve got to hold the fort down, and guys have just got to step up with the next-man mentality, and every player is going to be expected to do more. I believe in our group, and I believe everyone’s ready to do that and be able to get all the wins we need.”

If Cunningham misses more than a couple of weeks, the absence could impact his eligibility for All-NBA and other end-of-season honors. He’s appeared in 61 games, but only 60 of those count toward the league’s 65-game threshold. He left Tuesday’s game after playing just five minutes. Detroit has 14 regular-season games remaining before the postseason. Cunningham is averaging 24.5 points, 9.9 assists, 5.6 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game this season.

Daniss Jenkins and Marcus Sasser will likely be thrust into larger roles while Cunningham recovers. Five of Jenkins’ eight starts have come when Cunningham was sidelined with injury this season. Jenkins has averaged 14.8 points, 7.0 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 31.4 minutes per game during his eight starts. After initially signing a two-way deal, Jenkins has worked his way into the rotation and earned a two-year deal in February.

While Jenkins is more of a traditional point guard than Sasser, the latter has five starts under his belt this season. Though Sasser is 6-foot-1, he’s more of a combo guard. He’s shooting a career-best 43 percent from 3-point range on 2.9 attempts in his 27 games played this season, which is higher than both Cunningham and Jenkins’ 3-point percentage.

With Cunningham sidelined, Jalen Duren, the Pistons’ second All-Star and second scoring option, will likely assume even more responsibility on the offensive end. Duren is fresh off a career-high 36 points in Detroit’s win over the Wizards, and he’s averaging a career-best 19 points and 10.6 rebounds per game. He’s become far more involved in the Pistons’ offensive schemes, as evidenced by his career-high 22.9 usage percentage, and he’s diversified how he scores.

Per CleaningtheGlass, 71 percent of his shot attempts come at the rim, but 29 percent of his attempts are coming from midrange, which is another career high.