Three Pistons Who Will Be Impacted Most by Cade Cunningham’s Return

Cade Cunningham made his long-awaited return from his collapsed lung in the Detroit Pistons 137-111 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night. In his return, Cunningham recorded a double-double, scoring 13 points, 10 assists, and five rebounds, while shooting 6-of-11 from the field.

With Cunningham back, the offense now flows through him moving forward. During his absence, the Pistons were resilient, losing only three games in the 11-game stretch, with two of those losses coming in overtime to the Oklahoma City Thunder and Atlanta Hawks.

Team chemistry was the recipe for the Pistons success in their time without Cunningham and was also on full display in Wednesday night’s win against the Bucks, with seven Pistons players scoring in double figures.

During Cunningham's absence, several players stepped up for the Pistons, and now that he is back, the question is, how will their roles on the team be affected by his return?

With two games remaining on the Pistons regular season schedule, here’s a look at the three Pistons players who could be impacted the most by Cunningham’s return.

Daniss Jenkins

When Cunningham went down with a collapsed lung, Daniss Jenkins was inserted into the starting lineup for the Pistons and stepped up for the Pistons. During the 11-game stretch that Cunningham was out, Jenkins scored in double figures in every game but one. Jenkins also scored 20-plus points in three games for the Pistons during that stretch.

With Cunningham now back, it’ll be interesting to see what Jenkins role with the Pistons is moving forward. If his latest performances have proved anything, it’s that Jenkins needs to be a part of the Pistons playoff rotation and is deserving of valuable minutes on the floor.

In Wednesday night’s win over the Bucks, Jenkins scored nine points, six assists, and five rebounds, with a majority of his points coming at the free-throw line.

Jalen Duren

In Cunningham’s return for the Pistons, it was Jalen Duren who ultimately led the Pistons, scoring 21 points, nine rebounds, and three assists against the Bucks. Duren has had a remarkable season for the Pistons and is among the top players in consideration to win the NBA’s Most Improved Player of the Year award.

Duren is averaging 19.5 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game for the Pistons this season. The performance of Cunningham and Duren and how they play together on the floor will fuel a Pistons run at an NBA championship.

In the games where Cunningham doesn’t lead the Pistons in scoring, it’s been Duren who has always stepped in for Detroit.

Tobias Harris

Another one of the Pistons top scorers, Tobias Harris, will be impacted by Cunningham’s return to Detroit’s lineup. During Cunningham’s absence, he stepped up to lead the Pistons in several contests. Now with Cunningham back, Harris has the opportunity to be that valuable third option for the Pistons in the playoffs, and how he performs could be the key for Detroit.

In last season’s first-round playoff series against the New York Knicks, Harris averaged 15.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 0.5 assists per game for the Pistons, while scoring in double figures in all six playoff games.

Harris looks to build off last season’s playoff performance against whoever the No. 1-seeded Pistons end up facing in the first round of the postseason.