Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham underwent surgery Friday to "stabilize and promote complete healing" of a left tibial stress fracture, according to the team.

The surgery was expected, as league sources told the Free Press that Cunningham would undergo the procedure this week. The 2021 No. 1 overall pick was initially shut down for five games after Nov. 9 for what the team characterized as "shin soreness," but there was suspicion a stress fracture was the cause of the underlying soreness Cunningham had been dealing with for an extended period of time. He averaged 19.9 points on poor efficiency (41.5% on field goals, 27.9% on 3-pointers) with 6.2 rebounds and six assists a game in 12 appearances this season.

His absence leaves the Pistons with a handful of unanswered questions moving forward.

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The Pistons expect Cunningham will return to full health this offseason. He will turn 22 in September.

“We expect him to come back even better,” general manager Troy Weaver told reporters after the Pistons’ practice Tuesday. “He’d been dealing with the issue a little bit, off and on for a while. We want him to be healthy and be himself. He’s a young player, we don’t want this thing to linger two or three years. We want to get it settled. We expect him to recover well and be the best version of himself.”

According to the team, the surgery was performed by Dr. David Porter and Dr. Mark Ritter of Forte Sports Medicine and Orthopedics in consultation with team orthopedic surgeon Dr. Bill Moutzouros of Henry Ford Health.

The Pistons enter Friday's game vs. Sacramento with the NBA's second-worst record at 8-22. They were 3-9 with Cunningham, and have since gone 5-13.

Livers out for 2-3 weeks

The Pistons got more injury news on Friday, as the team announced forward Isaiah Livers would miss at least two to three weeks after re-aggravating a shoulder injury during a workout on Thursday. Livers was preparing to return from the shoulder injury; the Michigan alumnus hasn't played since Dec. 1, missing six games since. In his second season, Livers is averaging 5.8 points, 0.6 assists and 2.3 rebounds in 19.5 minutes a game.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Pistons' Cade Cunningham undergoes shin surgery