Pistons hold on against Bulls to advance to Summer League quarterfinals

The Detroit Pistons advance to the quarterfinals of the 2018 Summer League tournament, beating the Chicago Bulls 72-66

The Detroit Pistons took on the Chicago Bulls this Saturday afternoon in Las Vegas. The Pistons advanced to the second round after defeating the Timberwolves in round one. They will now face the top-seeded Los Angeles Lakers tomorrow at 4pm ET on ESPN.

The Pistons continue to move on, despite being placed at the 25th seed. Their success can largely be attributed to excellent defense, as well as the strong play of guard Bruce Brown.

First Half

Khyri Thomas sat out this game due to a tight hamstring. This gave Reggie Hearn a chance to prove his worth. Hearn was a two-way player last season and has struggled to stand out this summer. He looked much better in the first half, going 3-for-3 with 7 points and a rebound. He ended the game with 13 points on 71.4% shooting.

Kenneth “Speedy” Smith also got the start in place of Larry Drew II, who is dealing with a minor back injury.

The Pistons struggled in the first quarter, going down 13-23 to the Bulls. They shot 40% from the field, going 0-for-5 from three. They also notched 5 turnovers on some fairly sloppy play.

The Pistons really turned it around in the second quarter behind another strong showing from Bruce Brown. Brown continues to show that he is unafraid of living in the paint. In the second quarter, he actually backed down Wendell Carter Jr. for a basket.

Bruce Brown also continues to impress me as a passer. At the start of the 2nd quarter, Brown hit Eric Griffin with a nice pass as he rolled to the basket.

Zack Lofton has really started to stand out over time as someone who might earn a two-way contract. The former SWAC player of the year has looked aggressive on offense, and he’s been able to knock down his shots.

Bruce Brown ended the first half with a smooth three-point buzzer beater. If he can hit threes reliably, he will certainly be considered a steal for the Pistons. He’s already shown an ability to play defense, rebound, and get to the basket. If he can develop his shot, he could be great.

Brown ended the half with 9 points on 50% shooting. Ellenson had a little bit better showing today, scoring 7 on 50% shooting. Reggie Hearn and Zack Lofton also had good halves, scoring 7 and 8 respectively.

2nd Half

Ellenson started to put things together in the second half. He was able to draw four fouls through his ability to draw contact on drives. I’ve always liked his ball-handling, it’s the other aspects of his game that worry me. It was great to see him hit a three in the fourth quarter. His ability to hit that shot will largely be what determines his success at this level. He finished with 21 points on 46.7% shooting.

Eric Griffin and Wendell Carter Jr. were getting into it for most of the game. Griffin finished with 5 fouls, most of those hard and directed at Carter. He did block Carter’s shot once, but I thought he was chasing a little too many shots. He looked solid in the first half but really got sloppy in the second half, giving Johnny Hamilton a shot to play.

Speaking of which, I really liked Johnny Hamilton’s play today at Center. The Texas-Arlington product looked bouncy and he has plenty of length. I think he’d be a nice target for the Grand Rapids Drive. He snagged 10 rebounds today to go along with a block and a steal. He ended with a +9 plus/minus on the day.

Between Griffin’s aggression and Johnny Hamilton’s size and length, Wendell Carter Jr. had a tough day on offense. He ended the day shooting just 12.5% from the field with 6 points.

On a sour note, Reggie Hearn completely gave up on a play to allow an easy buzzer beater from Chandler Hutchinson at the end of the third quarter. I know it’s just Summer League, but that was inexcusable. You are playing to advance in the tournament and give more guys on your team opportunities to get valuable playing time.

Summary

The Pistons started the game down by a lot, then they went up by a lot, then almost blew it but were able to hold on at the end for the win. While winning in Summer League isn’t the biggest deal, it does give your team another chance to give valuable minutes to young prospects. Hopefully, Khyri Thomas is able to play tomorrow as he has shown himself to be a promising prospect.

Bruce Brown struggled from the floor today, going 4-for-15. Despite this, he still pops off the screen as the best player on the roster. He also continues to stuff the stat sheet, finishing with 10 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks and a steal. Brown led the team in minutes with 32, and the offense just looked better when he ran it. I see him as a Marcus Smart type point guard down the road who can guard up to 4 positions on the court.

Henry Ellenson may have done enough to save some face this Summer League. Going into this game, he was one of the major embarrassments so far in Las Vegas. He finished the game with 21 points, but it’s worth noting that he was still -3 in plus/minus.

I think Johnny Hamilton earned the opportunity to start tomorrow against the Lakers. Nnanna Egwu has been terrible, and Eric Griffin, at 28, doesn’t have much upside to tap. I think Hamilton showed enough to earn a large share of the minutes tomorrow.

Make sure to tune into the Pistons game against the Lakers tomorrow, live on ESPN!

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