Cade Cunningham is expected to make his return Wednesday night for the Detroit Pistons against the Milwaukee Bucks following a collapsed left lung, sources told ESPN.
Cunningham missed 11 games following the injury, which occurred against the Washington Wizards on March 17. The Pistons have gone 8-3 and on Saturday clinched home-court advantage in the Eastern Conference throughout the playoffs.
It was initially believed Cunningham would miss the rest of the regular season and only be able to ramp up in the week leading up to the playoffs, which begin on April 18.
But he’s ready for the final three games of the regular season after being listed as doubtful the last couple of days.
If Cunningham plays in the last three regular season games, he would fall one short of the 65-game minimum for post-season awards honors. However, there is language in the collective bargaining agreement, called the “extraordinary circumstances challenge” that would allow Cunningham’s situation to be reviewed by an independent arbitrator.
The independent arbitrator would be jointly selected by the NBA and the NBPA and the language is broad, so Cunningham could have a chance to qualify.
Cunningham is averaging 24.5 points, 9.9 assists, 5.6 rebounds and 1.5 steals in 34.4 minutes per game this season.