Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham underwent surgery Friday to “stabilize and promote complete healing” of a left tibial stress fracture, according to the team.
The surgery was expected, as league sources told the Free Press that Cunningham would undergo the procedure this week. The 2021 first overall pick was initially shut down for five games after Nov. 9 for what the team characterized as “shin soreness,” but there was suspicion a stress fracture was the cause of the underlying soreness Cunningham had been dealing with off-and-on for an extended period of time. He averaged 19.9 points on poor efficiency (41.5% on field goals, 27.9% on 3-pointers) with 6.2 rebounds and six assists in 12 games this season. His absences leaves the Pistons with a handful of unanswered questions moving forward.
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The Pistons expect Cunningham will return to full health this offseason. He will turn 22 in September.
“We expect him to come back even better,” general manager Troy Weaver told reporters after the Pistons’ practice Tuesday. “He’d been dealing with the issue a little bit, off and on for a while. We want him to be healthy and be himself. He’s a young player, we don’t want this thing to linger two or three years. We want to get it settled. We expect him to recover well and be the best version of himself.”
According to the team, the surgery was performed by Dr. David Porter and Dr. Mark Ritter of Forte Sports Medicine and Orthopedics in consultation with team orthopedic surgeon Dr. Bill Moutzouros of Henry Ford Health.
The Pistons enter Friday’s game vs. Sacramento with the NBA’s second-worst record at 8-22. They were 3-9 with Cunningham, and have since gone 5-13.
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