DETROIT -- Pistons All-Star guard Cade Cunningham will be out at least one more week in his recovery from a collapsed left lung, the team announced before beating the Minnesota Timberwolves 113-108 Thursday.
The Pistons said Cunningham is working to return to the court, is being supervised by doctors and Detroit's medical and performance staff and will be reevaluated in one week. He has been sidelined since March 19, but he has rejoined the team in street clothes recently, sitting on the bench for its two most recent home games this week for the first time since the injury.
"It's good to see him in good spirits," Detroit coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. "Good to see him moving around. It's good to have him back around the group and at games and stuff like that, shootarounds because he brings a juice for our guys, but he's progressing day by day, which is good."
Tobias Harris, meanwhile, left Thursday's game in the first quarter after colliding with Rudy Gobert and limped to the locker room. Bickerstaff did not have any additional details after the game.
Cunningham is averaging 24.5 points and 9.9 assists for the Pistons. Only eight players in NBA history have finished a season averaging that many points and assists, and Cunningham would be the first to do so in a Detroit uniform.
However, Cunningham has appeared in 61 games for Detroit this season, putting him four games short of the NBA's 65-game limit for award eligibility. The Pistons have only five games remaining following Thursday, so if Cunningham is sidelined for another week, he will be ineligible for postseason awards, despite his role leading the Pistons to the best record in the Eastern Conference.
"I've said this before. I understand the intent of the rule, but a guy like Cade shouldn't be punished for having a major injury late in the season," Bickerstaff said. "He's played a ton of games. He's played a ton of minutes. He's had a phenomenal season."
Bickerstaff acknowledged that he would prefer Cunningham play a game with the team again before the end of the regular season, but he said the team's medical staff would have the final determination.
The Pistons have clinched the Central Division and have a four-game lead over the Boston Celtics for the top seed in the Eastern Conference. Boston has six games remaining in the regular season.
And the Pistons have been successful without their best player. They are 11-4 this season without Cunningham.
"Just how important an identity is," Bickerstaff said. "If you can get guys to buy in to an identity, to a style, if you can play systematic basketball on both ends of the floor. You can have some success when guys are missing or when guys have to sub in, because everybody knows their role, they know their responsibility.
"Our depth has been a weapon for us. But again, it's like the guys have bought into the identity of who we are, and they go out and compete to that level every night."