Derrick Nix to reportedly get Summer League opportunity with Pistons

Since graduating from Michigan State, Derrick Nix has played mostly overseas. This summer, he will get an opportunity with the Pistons Summer League squad.

Over the past several seasons, there have been no shortage of story lines surrounding the Detroit Pistons’ stay in the Orlando Summer League.

In the hopeless days of 2011, we all wanted to see Brandon Knight. Watching Andre Drummond in 2012 was like watching a varsity player with several D1 offers scrimmage against the JV for a couple of weeks. Last summer, Stanley Johnson played so well that many people around the NBA had him slated as their preseason rookie of the year.

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There is plenty of reason to watch the Pistons in the Summer League this year, as our own Braden Shackelford touched on, but an under the radar and intriguing storyline is the inclusion of former Detroit Pershing and Michigan State star Derrick Nix on the roster.

It hasn’t been officially confirmed by the franchise and the official Summer League roster has not been released, but Sportando first reported that Nix would be on the team on June 25.

Given that Nix retweeted the tweet on his personal account, it’s probably safe to assume that the report is true and plenty of Pistons fans who double as Michigan State hoops fans will have the opportunity to once again watch and root for a former beloved Spartan.

Since he finished his decorated career at Michigan State, Nix has remained somewhat in the consciousness of Michigan sports fans as his “R.I.P ta da competition” tweets after big MSU wins remain polarizing between University of Michigan and MSU fans.

What also remains interesting about Nix is his candidness in regards to his struggle to try to sustain a basketball career in the United States. In this Detroit Free Press article from June 9th written by Vince Ellis, Nix talks about the minuscule D-League checks and how tough it is to survive on them with a family to support.

Last season, Nix played just 3 games with the Pistons’ D-League affiliate Grand Rapids Drive before heading back overseas. He doesn’t exactly view the D-League as a long-term option, either, via Freep.com

"“It’s just that money that they pay in the D-League,” the former Michigan State and Detroit Pershing big man said today. “There’s some very, very talented players in the D-League and I’m not one of those players who has played in the NBA so I’ve got all these hundreds of thousands of millions so I can sit down in the D-League and play.”"

Over the course of those 3 games with Grand Rapids, Nix averaged just 2.7 minutes per game and made one field goal on two attempts, so suffice it to say that he probably didn’t have a true opportunity to get settled during his stay with the Drive.

Admittedly, Nix is more than a long shot to even being in the conversation to make the team. The Pistons have one of the best center tandems in basketball with Andre Drummond and Aron Baynes. They also just drafted another highly regarded big man in Henry Ellenson, who figures to also probably get some minutes at center throughout the season.

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Still, Nix should remain a somewhat intriguing prospect simply because of his strength, ability to rebound, and skill around the rim. His limited athleticism and range have always been his major weaknesses, but at this stage in his career Derrick Nix simply wants an opportunity, and he will get just that this summer with his hometown Pistons.