The NBA is a star-driven league, so it always hurts extra hard when one of the league’s most popular players gets injured for an extended period of time.
Unfortunately, that’s the case with a player that the league has almost been making the face of the NBA as of late. He’ll miss his third game in a row on Friday, March 28, and there’s no word on when he’ll be healthy enough again to return to the court.
Star Guard is ‘Day-to-Day Moving Forward’
On Friday, the Detroit Pistons issued an update on Cade Cunningham, who has been listed as day-to-day with a left calf contusion. In the update, they state that Cunningham will miss a third consecutive game with the injury, which happened last Friday, March 21, during the team’s loss to the Dallas Mavericks.
The Pistons’ medical update states, “Recent imaging on Cade Cunningham’s left calf confirmed a left calf contusion that he sustained during the game last week at Dallas (3/21). He will miss tonight’s game versus the Cleveland Cavaliers and will continue his treatment regimen with the Pistons’ athletic training staff. Cunningham will be listed as day-to-day moving forward.”
So, the Pistons will take on the Eastern Conference-leading Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday evening at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit without Cunningham.
The NBA has been pushing Cunningham as of late, so that makes the timing of this injury even harder. Following the Pistons’ exciting win over the Miami Heat on March 19, which had Cunningham winning the game for Detroit, 116-113, with a three-pointer at the buzzer, the NBA took to social media to talk Cunningham up.
“@cadecunn1ngham has stepped up his game BIG TIME this season and he’s got the @detroitpistons in prime position to make some noise,” the NBA wrote.
Pistons’ Team Chemistry is ‘Unmatched’
In a February feature for The Ringer, NBA analyst and expert Mirin Fader discusses Cunningham’s rise to fame in the NBA and what his teammates think of his leadership.
“Cunningham is playing with a joy that many who know him best weren’t sure would return,” Fader states. “That spirit has rubbed off on his teammates. The team chemistry is ‘unmatched,’ guard Malik Beasley says, and is a reason for the team’s newfound success. “A lot of people that’s outside of this building alone didn’t believe in us,’ Beasley says. ‘And we’re in here talking about playoff discussions.’”
Fader adds that Cunningham came to the Pistons when they were at the bottom of the league, and sadly, that trend continued for a while. At first, the criticism and being in the public eye may have been difficult for Cunningham, but he’s over it and stronger because of it.
“You can get through it,” Cunningham said, per Fader. “You don’t have to allow what people think of you or what is creeping through your mind to control who you really are. It’s hard. It took a while.”
Now, the Pistons are looking ahead to the playoffs, and hopefully they won’t have to do it without Cunningham.
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