The Pistons coach is now bracing for the challenging road ahead without Cunningham's brilliance.
The Detroit Pistons are facing an uphill climb for the remainder of the regular season without Cade Cunningham.
Detroit Pistons / Schedule
As reported recently, the Pistons' rising superstar will be re-evaluated for two weeks after sustaining a collapsed lung in last Tuesday's win over the Washington Wizards. It remains to be seen if he can return to the team's lineup before the NBA Playoffs kick off in mid-April.
Cunningham has been the driving force of Detroit's sensational season this 2025-26, and J.B. Bickerstaff admitted that it would be challenging for him and the rest of the Pistons to carry on without their franchise star.
“Obviously it’s tough. Tough for Cade to go through what he’s going through now, how important he is to the team, how important being with his team is to him doesn’t make it easy," Bickerstaff told reporters ahead of the Pistons' Thursday rematch against the Wizards.
“He’s a huge part of what we do from a leadership standpoint, obviously the talent is there, but just being around him every single day makes people’s days better and we’ll miss that on these trips and things like that.”
The former No. 1 overall pick spearheaded the Pistons to the top seed of the Eastern Conference this year with a 49-19 record. As such, Cunningham is also on a tear, averaging 24.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and a career-best 9.9 assists.
Right now, the Pistons have no choice but to embrace a next man up mentality. Star big man Jalen Duren is expected to be at the front, while second-year guard Daniss Jenkins is set to shoulder the massive responsibility of filling Cunningham's shoes at the point for Detroit.
With 13 games left in their season, Bickerstaff and the Pistons are planning to deliver a strong-season finish while maintaining optimism about Cunningham's recovery.
“It’s our responsibility to keep pushing forward and we know he’s there rooting for us pulling for us...help coach and lead and all those things,” Bickerstaff argued. “It’s everybody’s responsibility to keep moving forward, head down, 10 toes forward and go to work. And that’s what this team has done all year."
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