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Pistons' Cade Cunningham Reportedly Placed in NBA's Health and Safety Protocols
December 22, 2021
Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham has been placed in the NBA's health and safety protocols, per Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic.
The rookie out of Oklahoma State, who Detroit selected No. 1 overall in the 2021 NBA draft, has averaged 15.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game this year.
Cunningham isn't the only NBA player to enter the league's protocols on Wednesday.
Per Charania, others include Dallas Mavericks guards Luka Doncic and Trey Burke, Los Angeles Clippers point guard Reggie Jackson and Philadelphia 76ers guard Danny Green.
In addition, Tuesday's Chicago Bulls vs. Toronto Raptors game and Thursday's Brooklyn Nets vs. Portland Trail Blazers game have been postponed.
As Rod Beard of the Detroit News noted, the Pistons didn't have a player enter the health and safety protocols this season until Wednesday.
The day before, Detroit lost 105-91 at the New York Knicks, who have had a COVID-19 outbreak within their team.
According to Peter Botte of the New York Post, the addition of New York center Nerlens Noel to the health and safety protocols put seven Knicks on the list, although the team announced Wednesday that forward Obi Toppin has since been cleared.
Now the Pistons' star rookie, who lit up the NBA with 22.0 points per game over an eight-matchup stretch from Nov. 30 to Dec. 18, will be out for the time being.
Earlier Tuesday, the Pistons signed big man Cheick Diallo to a 10-day contract, per Charania. That foreshadowed the Cunningham move, with the team needing to make room on the roster for the new signing.
The Pistons' next scheduled game is at the Miami Heat on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET. Sans Cunningham, Detroit could provide more minutes to backup guards including Saben Lee, Frank Jackson and Rodney McGruder.