Dwane Casey: Cade Cunningham still ‘day-to-day’ with hip injury
Detroit Pistons head coach Dwane Casey on Monday said rookie Cade Cunningham is still considered to be day-to-day with a right hip pointer suffered last week.
Cunningham initially suffered the injury on Feb. 1 in a loss against the New Orleans Pelicans. He has not played in each of the last three games but the injury is not considered to be serious. The Pistons have listed him as questionable to play Tuesday versus the Dallas Mavericks
Casey said the team will not rush him back into action.
It is still day-to-day. He is out there shooting right now but he is still not 100% so we’ll see how he feels tomorrow. Every day it is getting better. It is improving but it is one of those things that you know he wants to play here at home (where he is from), it is one that he probably had circled on his calendar. We’re not going to risk his health just to get one game in. I think we got 28 more games so we gotta make sure we keep his health as long as we can and finish out the season and continue to grow.
Cunningham missed his 12th game of the season on Sunday in a loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. He missed five games at the beginning of the season because of an ankle injury suffered during training camp and four due to the health and safety protocol.
Cunningham on Wednesday was named the NBA Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month after averaging 17.3 points, 5.6 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 1.1 steals in January. He led all first-year players in scoring and became the sixth Pistons rookie to win the award.
The Pistons have taken a cautious approach to injuries in the past with Cunningham no exception. While he certainly wants to play in his hometown on Tuesday, the team will make sure he is fully ready to play before clearing him to return.
This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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