At 24 years of age, Cade Cunningham is already a two-time All-NBA honoree who has led the Detroit Pistons to a 60-win season and a playoff series win. Unfortunately, five years into his career, he's also played at least 65 games just once.
Cunningham has thankfully only endured one major injury, but if history is a sign of things to come, then the Pistons need Jalen Duren for a simple reason: They have to be able to win games without Cade Cunningham.
Cunningham carries one of the heaviest workloads of any player in the NBA. In 2025-26, he and Nikola Jokic were the only players to average at least 20.0 points and 9.0 assists per contest. Furthermore, Cunningham ranked No. 10 in the Association in usage rate during the regular season and No. 2 among players who appeared in at least 10 games during the playoffs.
As if that weren't enough, Cunningham at 33.9 was the only player on the Pistons' roster who played more than 28.2 minutes per game. He was also one of two players who averaged more than 13.3 points per game and was the only one who exceeded 4.0 assists per contest.
That all adds up to two simple takeaways: For one, the Pistons need a player who can step up if Cunningham misses time again. The other is that they need a co-star who can take pressure off of him when he's active.
Thankfully, Duren already checks those boxes. Unfortunately, there isn't a clear path to a new co-star if the Pistons fail to bring Duren back.
Cade Cunningham has missed 18+ games in four of his five NBA seasons
Duren was effectively the last line of defense between Cunningham and doing virtually everything on offense. For that matter, he was also the last line of defense between Cunningham missing 18 games and Detroit falling to pieces without him.
That starts with the fact that Duren averaged 19.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 3.8 offensive rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.8 blocks, and 0.8 steals in 28.2 minutes per game.
Duren ranked No. 1 on the Pistons in rebounds, offensive rebounds, and free throw attempts per game at 6.1. He was No. 2 in scoring and minutes played. Though he regressed rather mightily during the playoffs, his regular season success played a pivotal role in Detroit even getting there.
Furthermore, when Cunningham missed 11 consecutive games between Mar. 19 and Apr. 6, it was Duren who stepped up to lead the team to an 8-3 record—including an 8-2 mark when he played.
Jalen Duren proved he can lead Detroit without Cade Cunningham
During that stretch, Duren increased his output to 22.0 points and 3.3 assists per game while maintaining strong averages of 10.3 rebounds, 3.4 offensive boards, 0.8 blocks, and 0.7 steals. He created offense for himself and others, consistently looking the part of a true star at the 5-spot.
If nothing else, that offers proof that Duren is capable of stepping up as an individual and as a team leader if or when Cunningham misses time due to injury.
Furthermore, Duren's postseason struggles shouldn't entirely overshadow how great he was in 2025-26. His season averages, for instance, translated to 24.9 points and 13.4 rebounds per 36 minutes. The only other returning Piston who averaged at least 17.0 points per 36 were Cunningham and Paul Reed.
Reed is a prime candidate for a breakout season, but it must be noted that he played just 13.9 minutes per game in 2025-26 and hasn't yet proven he can scale his impact to a larger role.
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John Collins could provide help considering his career-best scoring average was 21.6 points per game. Unfortunately, four seasons have passed since he last averaged even 15.0 points per game on a playoff team.
Isaiah Joe could be the answer after he averaged 18.8 points per 36 minutes in 2025-26, but he's more of a catch-and-shoot specialist than a shot creator. He's also never played more than 21.7 minutes per game.
With a long list of question marks, Detroit needs a player they know they can rely on. Even if Cunningham doesn't miss time in 2026-27, the workload he carries is unsustainable even with Duren. Removing him would only act to create a more difficult task for him on offense.
It may cause the Pistons to overpay Duren, but until they're presented with a sign-and-trade offer that distinguishably improves their roster, they need to do what they must to bring him back.
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