Is Cade Cunningham playing tonight against the Cleveland Cavaliers? Latest on the Pistons guard's availability(March 28)

Cade Cunningham is the favorite to win this year's Most Improved Player Award as he and the Detroit Pistons have been the surprise team in the NBA. They are fighting with the Indiana Pacers and the Milwaukee Bucks to try and secure home-court advantage in the first round for the first time since 2008.

However, the 6-foot-6 point guard has been suffering with a calf injury that has kept him out of the Pistons' last two games. The team was able to secure wins over the San Antonio Spurs and the New Orleans Pelicans in his absence. Unfortunately, the Pistons will be without their star guard in Friday night's game, as he was listed as out until March 30 on the Pistons' injury report, per ESPN.

Cade Cunningham's presence in the lineup would have meant a lot to the Pistons in what would have been a good measuring-stick game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the top seed in the Eastern Conference. His missing tonight's game risks the Pistons being swept by their division rival in their four-game season series.

The Pistons have wildly exceeded expectations after setting the NBA record for consecutive losses last year, but they will need their All-Star point guard at full health if they want to make noise in the postseason. Getting home court advantage is crucial for a young team like the Pistons, which could result in them putting Cunningham back on the court before he fully recovers.

What will the Detroit Pistons miss without Cade Cunningham playing against the Cavaliers?

The Detroit Pistons will be without Cade Cunningham in their game tonight, making tonight's game that much more difficult, even if the Cavaliers decide to hold out Evan Mobley and Ty Jerome from the contest. In their most recent matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers back on February 5, the Pistons narrowly lost on a buzzer beating three-pointer from Darius Garland.

Despite the loss, the game was one of the best of the season for Cunningham. In 38 minutes, the guard scored 38 points, dished nine assists and had four steals as he almost led his team to the upset win. The Pistons have gone as Cunningham has gone this season, making him one of the more important players in the NBA playoff picture.

While he might not have as much talent around him as other star players in the league, Cunningham has made the most of his supporting cast, the best one he has had since entering the NBA. In 66 games, Cunningham is averaging 25.7 points, 9.2 assists and 6.1 rebounds per game.

Cade Cunningham's calf injury is a major concern for the Pistons, who will exercise a high level of caution around their franchise star. Without him on the court, though, the Pistons' chances of winning a playoff series take a serious hit.

With eight games left in their regular season, the Pistons will need their starting point guard in order to finish the season strong and try to steal one of the top four seeds away from the Bucks, Pacers or Knicks. Regardless of where they finish in the standings, the Pistons present a dangerous first round matchup to the top teams in the conference.

Cade Cunningham is under pressure to deliver for the Pistons in the postseason, but regardless of how the playoffs go, he has proven to Detroit fans that he is, in fact, the star they had hoped for when he was drafted with the top overall pick in 2021.