Surprising Cade Cunningham injury upgrade puts best-case scenario on the table

Both Cade Cunningham and Isaiah Stewart have been upgraded to questionable for the Pistons’ final home game of the season tonight against the Bucks. 

They were both listed as doubtful for the previous game, so this is a great sign, and somewhat surprising given that both of them were expected to miss the rest of the regular season. 

It would be even more of a surprise if they actually played tonight against the Bucks, but the upgrade in status does put the best-case scenario in play. 

Cade Cunningham and Isaiah Stewart could be back before the playoffs 

Cunningham and Stewart have missed significant time, and it would obviously be great if they could return before the regular season is over to start getting back in game shape.

Stewart has been dealing with a calf injury that has limited his ability to stay in shape, though this is less of a concern than what Cunningham is dealing with. 

I’m not a doctor, but breathing is important (no, really, I swear I’m not a doctor!), and anything that might affect that is not going to be easy to deal with. It may take a couple of weeks before Cunningham is feeling comfortable and able to play at 100 percent. 

Detroit obviously needs to ease both players back in, and it would be ideal if they could get a game or two under their belts before the playoffs, but the schedule is not doing them any favors. 

The Detroit Pistons are hitting the road in the home stretch 

Tonight’s game against the Bucks is the final home game of the season, and then the Pistons will hit the road to play the Hornets and finish the season in Indiana. 

Luckily, these aren’t cross-country flights or anything, and it’s not like NBA players are suffering in steerage like the rest of us, but I do wonder if the Pistons will be comfortable with Cunningham traveling. 

Detroit doesn't need to win any of these games, so the Pistons aren’t going to rush either of these players back, and my guess is that they will error on the side of caution in any decisions about whether they appear in the final two road games. 

The Pistons will have to adjust on the fly 

Detroit has played well without Cunningham, with different players sharing the creation duties every night. We’ve seen Daniss Jenkins explode for big assist numbers, but more often it was shared between him, Ausar Thompson, Kevin Huerter and others. 

There will be an adjustment period when Cunningham returns, and everyone goes back to their previous roles. Hopefully, the success Detroit had without him has given those players confidence they can carry back to the bench, but Detroit won’t have time to adjust, as the playoffs start in 10 days. 

The injury upgrade puts the best-case scenario in play, but the Pistons have to be careful and will need to adapt quickly.