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The NBPA is calling for the 65-game eligibility rule to be ‘abolished or reformed’ after the injury to Detroit Pistons superstar Cade Cunningham.
The Detroit Pistons are playing the Orlando Magic in a game at 7 pm EST on Monday, April 6, in a game that, based on the latest Cade Cunningham injury update, will not feature the franchise star.
While it might not be the most important matchup of the night for the state of Michigan, it remains a key game for the Pistons to close out the regular season.
Before the game, Detroit announced its starting lineup and final injury report against the Magic, coming just hours after the team received good news on Cunningham’s collapsed lung injury return.
Pistons Starting Lineup
GettyCade Cunningham, Isaiah Stewart and Jalen Duren of the Detroit Pistons.
The Pistons took to social media to announce the starting lineup for Monday against Orlando.
Daniss Jenkins, Kevin Huerter, Ausar Thompson, Paul Reed, and Jalen Duren all got the nod from head coach JB Bickerstaff.
This is a group of starters Detroit has not yet used this season. Not only because of the Cunningham injury resulting in Jenkins starting, as he’s been in that role for a few weeks now, but Huerter, who was acquired at the trade deadline, has rarely been featured in the starting lineup.
The addition of Reed to the starting lineup is also a bit of a surprise, but based on the Pistons injury report, it’s a group they’ll have to go with in one of their last games of the regular season.
The rest of the season will involve Bickerstaff deciding on which players he will use for the playoffs, as a lineup of roughly eight to ten key contributors will be key in this Detroit team looking to make their first deep postseason run.
Pistons Injury Report
GettyIsaiah Stewart of the Detroit Pistons would be “suspended for the rest of the season” in a certain case, a former NBA player says.
Cunningham was ruled out for the game despite being upgraded to doubtful for a few hours earlier in the day.
Along with him, Tobias Harris, Caris LeVert, Duncan Robinson, and Isaiah Stewart are the other full-time players listed on the Pistons’ injury report against the Magic.
Even without having the franchise star, the Pistons have been beaten up recently. Harris, LeVert, and Robinson were all questionable for the game, but have since been ruled out for Monday.
However, there is hope that Stewart will return soon, as he’s been sidelined for a few weeks with a left calf strain.
Cade Cunningham Injury Update
Cunningham has been out for three and a half weeks with a collapsed lung. The star point guard and former MVP candidate still doesn’t have a timeline for a return, but a new injury update signals he will get back on the court soon.
“He got an on-court workout in today. He’s going to get another in the next couple of days as well. They’re going to evaluate him every single day,” Shams Charania said on NBA Today. “Cade Cunningham is getting close on a return to action. There is optimism that he’s gonna be back before the season is over potentially before the playoffs. But he is in a return-to-play protocol now.”
Shams:
“Cade Cunningham is getting close on a return to action. There is optimism that he’s gonna be back before the season is over potentially before the playoffs. He is in a return to play protocol now”
Cunningham will miss at least the next few days, but is eyeing a return before the start of the playoffs.
” There is optimism Cunningham will be back potentially before the playoffs begin,” ESPN added on the latest injury update to the franchise star.
The Pistons are 57-21 and are first in the East. They have already clinched the top seed for the postseason, the only team in the NBA to accomplish that feat right now.
Eli Gregorski is a sports journalist covering the NBA for Heavy Sports. He has years of sports writing experience covering the NBA, NFL, college football and basketball, international soccer, and Formula One. He graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder, where he was the assistant sports editor for the award-winning CU Independent student publication. More about Eli Gregorski
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