It's fair to ask if Cade Cunningham will play tonight or if he should

It’s unclear if Cade Cunningham will play tonight against the Hornets, and it’s fair to ask if he should, as the Pistons have little to gain by having him out there. 

JB Bickerstaff said Cade’s availability tonight would be dictated by how he felt, so it will likely be a game time decision. 

Cunningham looked sharp in his return against the Bucks, and the 26 minutes he played put some concerns about his stamina to rest. There is the issue of his All-NBA status, as some have suggested that he might get an exception and make the team if he plays the final two games of the season. 

Not to belabor the point, but Victor Wembanyama will make the 65 games played mark if he plays 20 minutes in one of the Spurs’ final two games, which is widely expected to happen. This will make him eligible for the awards he deserves. 

Even though he’s played two more games than Cade this season, Cunningham has actually been on the court far more, as he’s played 2,121 minutes while Wemby has only played 1,839. Cunningham will likely get shut out of awards because he played starter’s minutes all season and got hurt. Make it make sense. 

All-NBA aside, there are more reasons for Cade not to play tonight than there are for him to suit up against the Hornets. 

The Pistons have nothing to gain 

Yes, it would be nice to win 60 games this season, but if Cunningham were to suffer a setback in a meaningless game, no one would care one way or another. 

The Pistons have already clinched the number one seed and can’t finish any higher than 3rd overall in the NBA anyway, so they have nothing to gain from this game. 

And they can beat the Hornets with their backups anyway, which would be a nice message to send before the playoffs. 

The Pistons may have to play the Hornets in the first round 

This game is meaningful for the Hornets, who are jockeying for position and still have an outside chance of making the playoffs outright. 

They will have to play their starters all night and can’t hold anything back. 

This is important, as the Pistons may end up playing the Hornets in the first round and don’t need to tip their hand or give them a preview of what they will be up against. 

There is also no reason to let them potentially build confidence by beating the Pistons with Cade out there. On the other hand, it would send a powerful message if the Pistons were to beat them with their backups in a must-win game for Charlotte. 

Cade Cunningham looks ready 

Cunningham didn’t show any signs of rust and actually looked well-rested and fresh against the Bucks, so he looks ready to go. 

He still has over a week before the playoffs start, and the Pistons still have one more game against Indiana to finish out the season if he wanted another game of reps. 

If Cunningham plays tonight, great, as it’s a sign that the Pistons aren’t worried about any of these things, but I can also understand if they sit him, as there is very little to gain.