Cade Cunningham injury could have silver lining for struggling guards

Cade Cunningham has already been ruled out of the Pistons’ rematch against the Wizards tonight with a contusion on his back that has caused spasms. 

It doesn’t sound as if the injury is serious, and the Pistons had better hope it isn’t, as they are already missing Isaiah Stewart for at least a week and can’t afford to drop too many more games with the Celtics creeping up behind them. 

The Pistons will seek their 50th win of the season without their superstar, but his absence will allow some other players to get going just in time for the playoffs. 

Daniss Jenkins, Marcus Sasser and Kevin Huerter 

We’ll have to wait and see who gets the start with Cade Cunningham out, but it’s likely that JB Bickerstaff turns to rookie Daniss Jenkins, who has been struggling. 

He had a nice game against the Wizards two days ago and now would be a great time for him to get going before the playoffs, as the Pistons need the scoring and secondary ball handling he can provide.  It was a good sign that his legs looked a little fresher in the last game, as he had appeared to hit the proverbial rookie wall in the week prior.

Jenkins has played well as a starter this season, averaging 15 points and seven assists, and even better against the Wizards. He’s averaging 19.5 points, five assists and five rebounds per game against Washington this season, so Jenkins will be licking his chops to get a start tonight. 

Marcus Sasser is putting up strange numbers in his recent run in the rotation, as he basically can’t make a shot unless it’s a 3-pointer. Sasser is averaging 36 percent from the field in his last 10 games, but shooting over 45 percent from long range, mostly with his patented jab-step step back, so he just needs to keep firing away. 

Huerter has not shot the ball well this season, but he passes the eye test as a creator and connector. He does need to see some shots go in though, especially with Caris LeVert continuing to provide inconsistent production. 

With Cade out, there are 30+ minutes open for these guards, all of whom have struggled or are struggling recently, so it would be nice to see them get going. 

The bench came up big in the last game with four players in double figures, and they will need that kind of effort again tonight, as the Wizards are almost certain to try something new to stop Jalen Duren from wrecking them again. 

More importantly, the Pistons need some hot hands going into the playoffs, as they will need X-Factor games from some of the role players when the opposition sells out to stop Cade. 

Let’s hope they take advantage of the increased minutes and build some momentum in the home stretch of the season.