🚨 Cade Cunningham Injury Gives Pistons Built-In Playoff Excuse
ESPN reported on March 19, 2026, that Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham will miss multiple weeks with a collapsed left lung. According to the report, Detroit will re-evaluate him in two weeks, and the organization is cautiously optimistic that he will be back by the start of the playoffs on April 18.
Although Cade Cunningham is expected to participate in the playoffs, his health issue still offers the Pistons an explanation for any playoff failures, shifting blame from roster flaws to his condition.
What do I mean by this? Well, Detroit’s roster does not have the skill set to optimize its offensive system for the 2025-26 season. The Pistons’ favorite offensive set this season has been the transition play type. Over the first 67 games, Detroit has been in the transition play type on 19.5% of its offensive possessions, averaging 22.5 per game, 8th-highest in the league.
When Detroit is running the play, the initial ball handler is usually responsible for pushing the ball down the floor and taking a shot. On March 12 2026, Cade Cunningham grabbed a rebound with 3:10 left in the first quarter against Philadelphia.
Once this happened, Cade Cunningham pushed the ball up the middle of the floor until he reached the restricted area to attempt a layup over Cameron Payne.
🏀 The Real Problem: Detroit’s Offense Is Easy to Defend
Although Cade Cunningham scored the basket, there was one big red flag that should concern Detroit as they enter the playoffs. Once Cade Cunningham passed the free-throw line, the entire five-man unit for Philadelphia decided to surround him.
Philadelphia likely picked this strategy because of the lack of three-point shooting on the Detroit roster. The most experienced player on the Pistons’ roster is Tobias Harris, who entered the league in 2011.
The league average three-point percentage since 2011 has been 35.8% on 29.5 attempts. Detroit has only two players in its location with a career three-point percentage above 35.8%: Harris and Duncan Robinson. Both of these players have a career three-point percentage of above 36% on a minimum of 3.7 attempts per game.
The Detroit Pistons’ poor shooting has led to below-average three-point shooting this season. In the first 70 games, Detroit averaged 31.2 three-point attempts per game, ranking 28th, and made only 34.8%, ranking 23rd.
📉 Why Playoff Defenses Will Expose This Weakness
Therefore, opposing teams are going to give the other seven rotation players space when they are behind the arc. The strategy will limit the space the Detroit Pistons have to move around in the arc because multiple bodies will clog the area.
Consequently, the Pistons must choose: take a contested shot or pass to the perimeter for a low-percentage three. So far, they have opted for contested shots. In the first 70 games, the Pistons rank second in tightly contested field goal attempts, averaging 39.2 per game. According to NBA.com, these shots account for 44.2% of their total field goal attempts this season.
A tightly contested field goal attempt is when there is 2 to 4 feet of space between the ball handler and defender. Over the first 70 games, Detroit has been very effective in making contested field goal attempts. They are shooting 53.5% from the field, which ranks 7th in the league.
Despite the Pistons’ success, their lack of three-point shooting makes them easier to defend in the playoffs. Opponents can pack the lane and force Detroit into difficult shots.
⚠️ The Dangerous Long-Term Consequence for Detroit
Therefore, the Pistons should prioritize acquiring more above-average three-point shooters to maximize their offensive system. However, Cade Cunningham’s health issues will give the organization an excuse not to fix the roster.
This is because if Cade Cunningham doesn’t perform up to standards, the organization will say that he wasn’t at 100% due to his collapsed lung. As a result, the organization will believe that the roster is not the issue, as they were the top seed in the Eastern Conference with a 49-19 record prior to the health issue.
If my theory is correct, the Detroit Pistons will make minimal roster changes in the offseason. Consequently, they will have the same frog for two straight seasons. Detroit will start to realize that the lack of shooting is an issue during the 2027 postseason, when opposing teams routinely double-team the ball handler and have multiple bodies inside the arc.
The defensive strategy will force Detroit to take a higher percentage of low-quality shots, whether contested two-pointers or low-percentage three-pointers. Consequently, Detroit will be at greater risk of early playoff elimination in 2027 because it hasn’t addressed its roster flaws.
Cade Cunningham’s collapsed lung may delay the Detroit Pistons’ progress for another year.
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