After confirming that Cade Cunningham is dealing with a collapsed lung, the Detroit Pistons announced he’ll be sidelined for at least two weeks.
It’s still unclear whether his recovery will extend beyond that initial window, but Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press consulted Dr. Panagis Galiatsatos on Thursday to better understand the condition, the healing process, and what benchmarks Cunningham must meet before returning to action.
“The big thing I would make the case of is recognizing a collapsed lung is serious and what’s frustrating for an athlete is they’re going to feel good the second it re-inflates and they’re going to want to go back out there,” Galiatsatos said.
“What we need to be mindful of is the lung is going to still take a few weeks to fully heal, because it is an injury because the tissue got torn. You want it to not just heal over, you want it to be fully secure.”
Cunningham has played 5 seasons for the Pistons. He has averaged 22.6 points, 7.9 assists and 5.4 rebounds in 269 regular-season games. He was selected to play in 1 All-Star game.
Pistons Notes: Depth, Cunningham, Jenkins, Sasser, More https://t.co/FQKhk5d9Hg pic.twitter.com/mWAHEPyPuW
— Hoops Rumors (@HoopsRumors) March 19, 2026
