It doesn’t sound like the Pistons will have to wait too much longer for Cade Cunningham to make his debut.
The No. 1 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, Cunningham missed Detroit’s first two games of the 2021-22 season with a sprained right ankle.
Pistons head coach Dwane Casey said the team is taking a cautious approach with Cunningham’s recovery.
“He wants to play,” Casey recently said of Cunningham. “The medical people are holding him back. You don’t want to rush him back if it’s not 100 percent. There are certain movements he has where it’s still sore.”
How long has Cade Cunningham been injured?
Cunningham suffered a sprained right ankle early in training camp. The injury kept him out of Detroit’s entire preseason.
The injury isn’t considered to be serious, per The Athletic’s James Edwards III.
Before training camp, Cunningham appeared in three games with the Pistons in Summer League, posting averages of 18.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists.
When could Cade Cunningham make his debut?
Pistons general manager Troy Weaver said during opening week that he would “anticipate hopefully seeing [Cunningham] when we get back off the road,” adding that he’s “pretty much day-to-day.”
The Pistons just returned home from a three-game road trip, and it appears the No. 1 pick is getting closer to his return.
According to the NBA’s official injury report, Cunningham’s name is not listed for the Pistons for the first time this season. While he has not verbally been cleared to play, an absence on the injury report is certainly a step in the right direction.
The Pistons will face off against the Orlando Magic on Saturday, Oct. 30 at 7 p.m. ET in Detroit. If Cunningham is not yet ready to suit up, his next chance to take the floor will be Sunday, Oct. 31 against the Brooklyn Nets.
You can find the Pistons’ upcoming schedule below.
| Date | Opponent | Time (ET) |
|---|---|---|
| Sat, Oct. 30 | vs. Orlando | 7:00 PM |
| Sun, Oct. 31 | at Brooklyn | 7:30 PM |
| Tue, Nov. 2 | vs. Milwaukee | 7:00 PM |
| Thu, Nov. 4 | vs. Philadelphia | 7:00 PM |
| Fri, Nov. 5 | vs. Brooklyn | 7:00 PM |
What is Cade Cunningham’s potential?
NBA.com’s draft expert Kyle Irving had the following to say of Cunningham when the Pistons drafted him No. 1 overall.
“The 6-foot-8 jumbo guard has the most polished skill set of any player in this class, ready to make an impact and lead a franchise from Day 1. He can play point guard and initiate offence for budding players like Jerami Grant, Saddiq Bey and Isaiah Stewart, or play off the ball alongside last year’s lottery pick, Killian Hayes.”
Cunningham has drawn comparisons to the likes of Grant Hill, Jayson Tatum and Luka Doncic.
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