Pistons' Cade Cunningham ruled out for Magic clash
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NBThe Detroit Pistons will be without their star point guard Cade Cunningham on Saturday against the Orlando Magic, via Aaron Johnson of Palace of Pistons. The injury occurred on Thursday in the fourth quarter against the Charlotte Hornets. Cunningham had a nasty land on his back after driving to the hoop for a layup. The Pistons’ medical staff diagnosed the injury as a left sacroiliac joint sprain.
Detroit must fill a major production hole without their 2021 number-one overall pick. Cunningham is putting up career-high numbers across the board in his fourth season with the Pistons. The 6’7 point guard is averaging 23.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 8.9 assists through the first 17 games of the regular season.
Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff will have to rely on his guard depth to fill the void of their injured franchise player. Combo guard Jaden Ivey will likely manage the majority of minutes as the Pistons’ primary ball-handler. Detroit normally balances out the point guard responsibility between both of their starters, but now, they will have to lean on Ivey in Cunningham’s absence.
The Pistons have received some productive minutes lately from reserve guards Malik Beasley, Marcus Sasser, and Wendell Moore Jr. They could be in line for extended minutes to help the injury problem for Detroit.
Ausar Thompson is getting closer to his return
Second-year forward Ausar Thompson was upgraded to questionable on the Pistons’ injury report when they face the Magic. Detroit’s primary defender has been inactive since March of last season due to blood clots. His last game was against the Dallas Mavericks at home when Thompson was removed at the end of the first half.
Thompson was previously under the league’s recovery protocol. The NBA cleared him to return on November 11 and has been going through conditioning for the past couple weeks in preparation for his season debut.
While Thompson was not allowed to participate in full team scrimmages, he has spent a lot of time ramping up slowly to get back on the court. He has been spent lots of time working with Pistons’ assistant coach Fred Vinson.
Vinson was hired away from the New Orleans Pelicans after being regarded as a shooting specialist coach. Thompson’s defense is regarded as one of the strong suits of his game but has dedicated lots of reps working on becoming a better shooter and a more well-rounded scorer.
Bickerstaff has been patient with bringing Thompson back into the lineup. The Pistons will likely make their decision on Thompson’s return on Saturday before tipoff.
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