NBA star Cade Cunningham has been having a career year for the Pistons, but he could be set to miss some time here in the final stretch of the season. The play happened in the game against the Wizards today, after Cade dove to the floor for a loose ball.
Cade Cunningham won’t return tonight due to back spasms. This is the play that took him out pic.twitter.com/Mj5ZHcWL7G
— Pistons Talk (@Pistons__Talk) March 17, 2026
The Pistons guard immediately left the game and headed to the locker room for treatment. The Pistons later ruled him out with back spasms, putting his status in jeopardy for the short-term future. In just five minutes of action, he put up six points, two rebounds, zero assists, one steal, and zero blocks on 2-3 shooting from the field.
There are limited details on the severity of Cade’s back injury, but back spasms have a varying recovery time. He could miss anywhere from one game to multiple weeks, depending on how bad the discomfort is. For now, at least, it’s too painful to try and play through, leaving the Pistons to fend for themselves against a lottery-bound Wizards squad.
Cunningham, 24, has played 60 games for the Pistons this season as a top MVP candidate with averages of 24.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, 10.1 assists, 1.5 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game on 46.1% shooting and 34.7% shooting from three. He’s been a consistent force all season long, providing a steady source of scoring, playmaking, and leadership both on and off the court. Not having his presence out there is going to leave Detroit especially vulnerable in the backcourt. Nevertheless, they have enough to hold it down until he returns.
Tonight, thanks to a balanced team effort, the Pistons are keeping up with the Wizards en route to their 49th win of the season. Jalen Duren went off for 25 points through three quarters, while Daniss Jenkins brought a nice spark off the bench. If they can get those kinds of efforts consistently, they should have no problem maintaining their place atop the East standings.
No matter how it pans out, the Pistons are going to be ready for the playoffs. With Cunningham healthy, they have one of the strongest and most well-rounded rosters in the NBA. They already have the best record in the East, and few teams can truly match up with them when everything’s clicking.
That’s why Cunningham’s health is so important. He’s the key to everything they do, and anything less than his best makes the Pistons extremely vulnerable. Fortunately, this injury isn’t serious, and it shouldn’t have any major implications on the NBA standings.
