Detroit Pistons point guard Cade Cunningham returned to the starting lineup against the Milwaukee Buck on Wednesday. Cunningham played seven minutes in the first quarter, scoring four quick points, including a basket on an alley-op from Ausar Thompson.
Before Wednesday, Cunningham missed the last 11 games with a collapsed lung that he suffered after diving for a loose ball and colliding with Tre Johnson in March 17’s win over the Washington Wizards.
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Cunningham was seen shooting around in warmups and was upgraded to questionable for Wednesday’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks after it was initially announced that he would be reevaluated on April 12. Cunningham had previously made his first public appearance since the injury a few weeks prior.
Cunningham is having a breakout season in his fifth year with the Pistons. He is averaging 24.5 points, 9.9 assists (second in the NBA behind Nikola Jokić), 5.6 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game. His assists and steals are career highs. The Pistons have since clinched the No. 1 seed in the East for the first time since the 2006-2007 season and their first Central Division title since the 2007-08 season.
Despite Cunningham’s numbers, he will not be eligible to receive individual accolades because he won’t be able to reach the NBA’s minimum 65-game rule. The rule, which was introduced during the 2023-24 season, requires players to appear in at least 65 games to be eligible for awards such as MVP, DPOY and All-NBA teams.
Cunningham has played in 61 games, and the Pistons will have only two games remaining if he is cleared to play after his evaluation. He was expected to be in the running for honors such as All-NBA and MVP before the injury.
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Cunningham’s injury has sparked debate about the 65-game rule.
The National Basketball Players Association issued a statement in March calling for the rule to be “abolished or reformed” following Cunningham’s injury. His agent, Jeff Schwartz, told ESPN’s Shams Charania that the 24-year-old point guard should be granted an exception.
“Cade has delivered a first-team All-NBA season,” Schwartz said. “If he falls just short of an arbitrary games-played threshold due to a legitimate injury, it should not disqualify him from recognition he has clearly earned over the course of the season. The league should reward excellence, not enforce rigid cutoffs that ignore context. An exception needs to be made.”
NBA commissioner Adam Silver backed the 65-game rule, saying it was the league’s solution to load management and players resting during the season.
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“I’m not ready to say it’s not working,” Silver said. “It is working. I’m not ready to say that because there is a sense of unfairness for one player, the rule doesn’t work.”
Pistons big man Isaiah Stewart is also questionable to return against the Bucks after missing 13 in a row with a left calf strain. Stewart has played in 55 games this season, making him ineligible for awards such as Defensive Player of the Year or the All-Defensive Team. On Wednesday, he told reporters he considered returning to preserve eligibility but decided not to rush back, believing it was best for both himself and the team.
Pistons All-Star Jalen Duren and the emergence of Daniss Jenkins have helped the team continue to win without Cunningham in the lineup. The Pistons are 13-5 this season without him.
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The Pistons are 57-22 and the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.