One of the most highly-anticipated debuts of any young player around the NBA landscape this season was supposed to come when the Detroit Pistons take on the Chicago Bulls in the Motor City on the night of Oct. 20. That was supposed to be when the first overall pick from the 2021 NBA Draft, point guard Cade Cunningham, was going to take the floor in his first regular season game.
The former Oklahoma State Cowboys superstar point guard and First-Team AP-All American Cunningham is now the rising face of the Pistons franchise. He and former G-League star Jalen Green are the two rookies expected to make an impact right away for their teams this season.
But we’re going to have to wait a bit longer to see Cade’s debut with the Pistons in this regular season.
Pistons head coach Troy Weaver confirmed this week that Cunningham is out for the Pistons in the regular season opener against the Bulls on Oct. 20. He’s dealing with an ankle injury that could cause him to miss at least the first week of the regular season. But the exact timeline for his recovery from this ankle injury is not concrete yet.
Cade Cunningham out with ankle injury for Pistons in regular season opener against the Chicago Bulls
#Pistons Cade Cunningham is OUT for Wednesday's opener against the #Bulls.
— Rod Beard (@detnewsRodBeard) October 19, 2021
Since the Bulls face the Pistons twice in the first week of the regular season, it looks like Detroit will be without the face of their franchise multiple times in this division series. The Bulls and Pistons also face each other at the United Center in Chicago on Oct. 23.
That will be one of three games that the Bulls play in the first four days of the regular season.
There will be three players worth watching for the Pistons with Cade out in this regular season opener against the Bulls. That is also likely to be true in the Oct. 23 meeting in Chicago between these two teams. Those three Pistons guards to watch are Killian Hayes, Josh Jackson, and Hamidou Diallo.
We’re also likely to see veteran point guard Cory Joseph get more minutes off the bench with Cade out.
Entering this game, the Bulls should have the decisive edge in the starting backcourt. Star shooting guard Zach LaVine and newly signed point guard Lonzo Ball are likely to be matched up against Hayes and Jackson. That is a big edge for the Bulls from the outset.
Tip-off time between the Bulls and Pistons is set for 6 p.m. CT at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. The Bulls are five-point favorites ahead of tip-off with the news already out there that Cunningham is missing in this game.