Second Look: Detroit Pistons vs. Milwaukee Bucks Summer League

The Detroit Pistons got slaughtered in their first Summer League game, but there was still information to glean from the contest. Especially for their pair of pit-bull rookies.

So it’s Summer League, nothing really matters right?

Lets lay down what matters and what doesn’t.

Things that are worth paying attention to:

• How much ball handling do Khyri Thomas and Bruce Brown take on?
• How much versatility do Thomas/Brown show on defense?
• Does Henry Ellenson play any defense?
• Can Thomas/Brown create looks for themselves?

Things that don’t matter, even a little bit:

• The final score.
• Shooting percentages from beyond the arc (barring extreme outliers).
• Ellenson’s offense.
• Anything scheme-related. This includes sloppy play, as Summer League is always super sloppy.

Why don’t we care about long-range shooting?

How Ellenson and particularly Brown shoot from deep is a real question this year, but Summer League means nothing in this category. Not because it’s Summer League, but because it’s only three games.

That is not enough of a sample size. Unless there is a crazy outlier, good or bad, their 3-point shooting doesn’t matter.

Were there any questions that got answered?

A big question was answered almost immediately. Both Thomas and Brown served as some form of a combo guard in college.

They played in very different offensive sets, but both were lead ball-handlers at times, while also having the skill-set and size to theoretically play on the wing.

Detroit’s original plan was to play Luke Kennard at point guard before he got hurt. If the Pistons had any serious hopes for Brown or Thomas to play point guard this season, they likely would’ve instructed them to do so in yesterday’s game.

But instead, Detroit used a true point guard the entire game. Both players still had ball-handling duties of course, but there is a difference between handling the ball frequently, and outright playing point guard.

For now, it is likely that the Pistons view both Thomas and Brown as wing players, which makes sense. That more or less was expected coming into Summer League.

But it’s still a question that was answered on Friday night.

How about Ellenson’s game? He was very bad.

Yeah, he had a rough outing.

Ellenson fouled a lot, and struggled from the field. But remember, we shouldn’t care about how guys shoot.

Ellenson dominated in the previous two Summer Leagues. He simply missed shots on Friday night. If he shoots this poorly in all three games, maybe worry a little, but otherwise don’t.

The only thing to care about is his defense.

Christian Wood had a great game, often at Ellenson’s expense, and plays like this were pretty brutal.

The killer really remains Ellenson’s footwork. He is fairly nimble for his size, which means he is capable of making these defensive rotations, but he takes such a weird angle (and an extra step) so that it’s easy to blow past him.

The fouling is less of a concern to me. Committing a ton of fouls is actually a fine strategy on defense for a bench player. Aron Baynes has consistently been one of the most foul-prone players in the NBA.

The theory is basically to play overly physical. Referees won’t call every foul, and bench players only play roughly 16 minutes per night anyways.

In the end, I’m a hesitant to say too much about Ellenson’s defense yet.

There were plays where he looked better, but he is obviously never going to be a good individual defender. Ellenson will have to survive as the type who can execute great in defensive schemes. Summer League isn’t the place for that to happen.

What about shot creation for Thomas and Brown?

This was also rough.

Brown took on more ball-handling duties than Thomas did, which isn’t unexpected. But neither player was that effective in creating space for themselves with the ball in their hands.

If there is any hope that either one will be a serious ball-handler this season, then they’ll have to do better than this.

Even in Summer League, every player is big, strong, and fast. Both Brown and Thomas tried to make moves, didn’t create any real space, and tossed up near impossible looks.

Thomas settled for floaters that were really tough. Brown actually tried to get to the hoop more often, but he was generally too far away to finish, and was also blocked several times.

The good news is that they will get to play with the master of those tough floaters and closer-to-hooks-than-layup types in Reggie Jackson. But that’s a hard living to make.

Once again, this isn’t a big deal. I’ll be interested to see what they do in the preseason after they have some more experience.

But it is a splash of reality for both these players, and some fans, about the expectations for rookies.

Did either of them do anything good on offense?

Yes, they did.

Thomas hit a couple of 3-pointers, and looked really good moving off the ball and getting his shot up. Given that his future role is going include more plays such as these is a good sign.

Also, despite struggling to create looks for himself, Brown really did a nice job of creating looks for others. His passing ability was in good form.

I think he was probably going for the corner shooter here, but either way it works. A good read and a quick, accurate pass.

At the start of that play, Brown catches his defender not paying attention, and slips behind him for a cut. He showed good ability off the ball most of the game, and I hope the Pistons find him more often in the future.

Then this last pass is just nice vision from Brown, where he finds the open big without even having to use his dribble.

Brown also flashed one of his more intriguing abilities. Both Brown and Thomas were very good rebounders for their position in college, and it was backed up by coming in first and third, respectively, in weightlifting among wings at the combine.

Brown grabbing rebounds and pushing the ball quickly may be his most NBA-ready skill.

Nothing opened up, and he ended up missing the shot, but this is something to watch. He already has good instincts here, and if he keeps it up, those openings will come.

Well, what’s the best news?

Ed Stefanski called Brown and Thomas pit-bulls.

Both guards are physically and mentally strong, and figure to be good defenders that do the little things.

Regardless of everything else, defense is likely to be their top skill out of the gate. They did not disappoint.

Here on the opening possession of the game, Thomas gets right up on the ball-handler and deflects the pass. Brown then records a tough rebound.

On this second one, Thomas harasses the ball-handler the entire way. After the Bucks get an offensive rebound, watch Brown’s defense. He doesn’t give up a single inch.

Then on the last clip, Thomas follows his man, keeps his hands moving, and harasses the opponent until the very end.

Milwaukee scored after a switch, but who knows if they were even supposed to switch or not? It’s Summer League.

Overall?

Both Brown and Thomas clearly have work to do on offense, which isn’t a shock.

But they each looked fairly comfortable. I was also thrilled with how both players defended.

Next: Three Pistons to watch in Summer League

There is simply not a lot of scoring on the roster, which makes it difficult to judge their offensive games admittedly.