Pistons' record without Cade Cunningham doesn't tell the whole story

The injury news about Cade Cunningham has put the spotlight on the Detroit Pistons for all the wrong reasons.

Detroit has been one of the most dominant teams in the league this season, and a large part of why they sit atop the Eastern Conference is because of their MVP candidate.

Without him though, the Pistons have still been one of the best teams in the league statistically and that's where things get confusing.

Through 69 games, the Pistons hold a record of 51-19, which alone is an extremely impressive stat.

Of those 69 games though, Cunningham has suited up in 61 of them, including his most recent attempt to play through the pain against the Washington Wizards before being forced to leave the matchup after just five minutes.

Still, that small sample size of eight games suggests that Detroit's depth will allow for the Pistons to stay afloat without Cunningham and while that may be true, the harsh reality is fans should be more concerned than they are confident.

Pistons' depth can't fill the void left by Cade Cunningham

Sure, Detroit's supporting cast has put them in position to win without their star guard at times this year.

By no means though should this small sample size have fans expecting for Detroit to continue looking like the dominant squad they've proven to be throughout the year, especially if they have to enter the NBA Playoffs with their superstar playmaker still sidelined.

Surviving atop the Eastern Conference down the stretch of the regular season may be doable considering the gap Detroit managed to put between them and the No. 2 seed throughout the year, but the possibility of surviving a seven-game series against the likes of the Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers or New York Knicks without Cunningham would be a major concern.

And that's not even factoring in the nightmare scenario of battling a surging team like the Atlanta Hawks or Charlotte Hornets in round one without their star.

Detroit's depth is solid, but they have to step up

The overwhelming sentiment surrounding the Pistons up to this point of the season is they have plenty of well-known names on their depth chart that in theory gives them one of the best supporting cast in the league.

Still, the offseason signings of Caris LeVert and Duncan Robinson have yet to make the impact Detroit hoped they would when they joined the roster.

Now, wihout Cunningham for the foreseeable future, the Pistons need to see more from their supporting cast if they hope to keep their season alive.