5 Detroit Pistons trends to watch in the homestretch

This has already been a lost season for the Detroit Pistons regardless of what happens in the final 14 games.

The Pistons still have more questions than answers heading into a crucial offseason for the front office, as they will be entering year five of the rebuild and have painfully little to show for it in terms of team improvement.

The Pistons didn't even need to tank to be one of the NBA's worst teams this season, which is alarming considering this was the year in which they were supposed to turn it around.

Even though the Pistons have little to play for down the stretch, the team would love to finish the season healthy and on a high note to carry some momentum into next year. They would also like to get some answers to questions that will affect the long-term future of the core players.

Here are five trends to watch as the season winds down.

Cade Cunningham's health

Cade Cunningham had to sit against Boston with what is being called maintenance on his injured knee, and if that is all it is, there isn't much to worry about.

But Cade has yet to finish a full season or anywhere close, as he played just 64 games as a rookie, missing nine of the final 31 games.

He played just 12 games total in year two, and has missed 11 of the last 32 games in this season, not a trend he wants to continue.

He's only played 57 games total this season, so still has some work to do to even reach the 64-game mark he set as a rookie.

Cunningham has improved this season, and at times has looked the part of the superstar they need him to be, but it's concerning that your franchise player has had this many injuries this early on in his career. It happens, and players tend to get stronger as they age, but Cunningham will be lucky to hit the 70-game mark in any of his first three seasons.

This could just be a team being super cautious in meaningless games, especially when the Pistons had three games in rapid succession, but it's something to monitor.