The Detroit Pistons must finish the rest of their matchup against the Denver Nuggets without their former No. 1 overall pick.
Why It Matters For the Detroit Pistons
Cade Cunningham exited the second quarter of the Detroit Pistons‘ matchup against the Denver Nuggets due to a knee strain. The team ruled him out for the rest of the game to examine the seriousness of the injury. There were no signs on the court of how Cunningham aggravated the knee injury.
Cunningham hurt his knee in Friday night’s game against the Golden State Warriors during a layup at the rim. After driving against the Warriors’ defense in the second half, the Pistons’ point guard limped around and favored the knee the rest of the game. Cunningham was able to play through the pain the rest of the night.
Injuries have been an issue for the Pistons since before the season. They have been without as many as seven players simultaneously for various injuries. Head coach Monty Williams has shuffled the Pistons starting lineup more than any other team in basketball and could be in store for more changes soon if the injury is serious.
Cunningham had been playing the best basketball of his career averaging 23.4 points per game with 7.4 assists as well. After missing 70 games last season due to a season-ending shin injury, Cunningham hasn’t missed a single game in 2023-24. Detroit has relied heavily on the production of Cunningham to stay competitive each game.
There has been no update on how serious Cunningham’s injury is or if he will miss any time. Coach Williams will have to rely on the young depth of Jaden Ivey, Killian Hayes, and Marcus Sasser if Cunningham will miss any games. They have been without veteran point guard Monte Morris all season due to a quad injury.
