Cade Cunningham collapsed lung, explained: What we know about freak injury that sidelined Pistons star

Cade Cunningham collapsed lung, explained: What we know about freak injury that sidelined Pistons star originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . Detroit Pistons star point guard Cade Cunningham will miss at least the next two weeks of action due to a collapsed lung.

It isn't entirely clear when the injury occurred or how, but Cunningham left the team's game on Tuesday, March 17, against the Washington Wizards in the first quarter and didn't return. The injury could have happened in the game, or could have been the result of something before the game that he was trying to play through. A collapsed lung is arguably one of the scariest-sounding injuries.

It makes it seem like the lung isn't functioning anymore, but it really is air leaking into the space between the lung and chest, creating pressure that prevents the lung from fully inflating, causing pain and shortness of breath. Even though the true injury isn't as bad as it sounds, it still takes time to recover from and manage, which is why Cunningham will miss extended time for the Pistons. Here is more on Cunningham's injury and why it will cause him to miss extended time.

SN's NBA HQ: Scores | Standings | Schedule Cade Cunningham collapsed lung The Pistons announced on Thursday morning that their star point guard will be missing some time. Detroit confirmed that Cunningham has been diagnosed with a "left lung pneumothorax," also known as a collapsed lung. The press release states that Cunningham left the team's game on Tuesday, March 17, in the first quarter and didn't return, insinuating the injury occurred then.