What Cade Cunningham's Collapsed Lung Could Mean For The Boston Celtics

A bizarre injury could cost Cunningham the rest of the regular season, opening a door that looked shut for the Celtics.

Jan 19, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) dribbles the ball against Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) in the second half at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

ESPN’s Shams Charania reports Detroit Pistons superstar Cade Cunningham has been diagnosed with a mild collapsed lung which is expected to keep him out of the lineup for multiple weeks. 

“He’s expected to miss an extended period of time,” Charania reported on ESPN’s Get Up. “The Pistons aren’t quite sure exactly how long. It could be a period of weeks. Obviously, the playoffs are about a month away. There is some optimism that he’s going to be back for the playoffs.” 

The Celtics start the day 3.5 games behind the top-seed Pistons with 13 games to play. Under normal circumstances, that would essentially be an insurmountable lead, especially because the Pistons own the tiebreaker against Boston. But without Cunningham, the chances of Boston making a late run to snag the top seed increase. 

Cunningham has only missed seven games this season, and the Pistons are 5-2 in those games. However, those games have mostly come against bad teams. They beat Chicago twice, Philadelphia, New Orleans, and Indiana. Their losses have come to the LA Clippers and Brooklyn Nets. 

Their remaining strength of schedule is 15th in the NBA, according to Tankathon, with games remaining against above .500 teams in the Thunder, Lakers, Timberwolves (twice), Raptors, Magic, Hornets, Sixers, and Hawks. Their games against below .500 teams are the Pacers, Wizards, Pelicans, Bucks and Warriors.

It would still be an uphill battle for Boston, but a Pistons losing streak could put them in jeopardy of falling to second. Boston is four games behind Detroit in the loss column, and the Pistons have 14 games to play, so the Celtics need them to go at least 9-5 over that stretch in a perfect scenario. And for every game Boston loses the rest of the way, they’d need Detroit to add another loss to that record. 

If they lose to all the above .500 teams and beat all the bad teams, they’ll go 5-9 the rest of the way and finish at 54-28. Boston would have to finish the season 9-4 to finish at 55-27 to grab the top seed in that scenario. Boston has the seventh-toughest remaining schedule, so getting there will be tough. 

The Celtics will catch a break this weekend because Anthony Edwards will miss Sunday’s game when Minnesota visits Boston, but that doesn’t make that game a gimme for Boston. The OKC Thunder are also in town next week, and the Celtics still have two games against surging Charlotte, Miami, Toronto, and New York. 

Grabbing the top seed obviously changes a lot for Boston, mostly that they’d get home court throughout their Eastern Conference playoff run. It means a lighter first round opponent who would have to win two games just for the right to face the Celtics, giving Boston a nice advantage there. 

This could also change the path for Pistons, who are now at risk of an early exit from the playoffs. Detroit’s physicality has been an issue for Boston, so a scenario where Detroit is eliminated early would clear Boston’s path to a potential Finals run. There could be an upset or two along the way that makes things a little easier. 

Obviously, no one wishes an injury on other stars, and the good news is that this is a mild injury from which Cunningham will recover. However, there's no doubt that this could reshape the playoff landscape. The Celtics have a chance at an easier path, a top seed, and some extra home games (team owners don’t mind that).