Detroit Pistons injury news: Monte Morris to debut, Cade Cunningham to return Wednesday

The Detroit Pistons, for the first time this season, are going to be 100% healthy.

Veteran point guard Monte Morris will likely make his season debut Wednesday, when the NBA-worst Pistons (4-39) host the Charlotte Hornets (10-31). He will be joined by Cade Cunningham, who will return from a seven-game absence due to a left knee strain. Both players were listed as "probable" to play on Tuesday evening's NBA injury report.

Morris, a Flint native and Michigan Mr. Basketball winner, has been sidelined far longer than expected due to a lower back strain, followed by a right quad strain that was treated with a Platelet-Rich Plasma injection. The 28-year-old arrived in Detroit via trade June 30 in exchange for a second-round pick, and should provide a steadying presence for a young backcourt. He has 48 games of playoff experience.

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Morris dreamed of playing for the Pistons, and has been teasing his return on social media.

Morris, a career 39.2% 3-point shooter and 48.1% overall in five seasons with Denver and one with Washington, will provide spacing for a Pistons team lagging in both attempts per game and accuracy. He can also aid the ongoing issues with turning the ball over: He has never averaged more than a full turnover per game in a season. Tuesday was Morris' first full practice this season.

“Monte is a guy who has a historical body of work to be able to play with the ball and off the ball,” coach Monty Williams said during preseason in October. “In Denver he played off of it more because of (Nikola) Jokic. Last year, they played him as a primary ballhandler. He’s a guy that understands how to play. He can settle the best when things are getting a little out of hand. I think he can do that."

Morris is in the final year of a three-year, $27.8 million contract signed with the Nuggets in 2021.

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Cunningham, 22, had appeared in every game this season before injuring his knee during the Pistons' road loss to the Nuggets on Jan. 7. He's averaging 22.8 points and 7.2 assists on 44.9% shooting overall, 33.5% from 3-point range and 87% on free throws. The Pistons went 3-33 with him and 1-6 without him.

Despite a standout performance during Team USA scrimmages last summer, Cunningham was left off Tuesday's announced 41-player pool for the 2024 USA Basketball Men’s National Team at the Summer Olympics in Paris. No Pistons made the cut.

The return of both players puts the roles of Killian Hayes and Marcus Sasser in flux. Hayes has started while Cunningham has been sidelined, and Sasser had a breakout game Monday vs. Milwaukee, scoring 23 points and making a case to stay in the rotation.

Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him @omarisankofa.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Pistons news: Monte Morris to debut, Cade Cunningham returns