Now that the NBA draft has finally ended and the anxiety for Pistons’ fans is officially over let’s take a look at summer league. The Las Vegas summer league is back on the campus of UNLV with teams set to start play on August 8th. The Detroit Pistons are looking to make their presence felt this year during the competition. Here are three things to watch.
Detroit Pistons Summer League: Who’s on ball Cade Cunningham or Killian Hayes?
With quality second year players still growing into their roles, along with a promising young rookie there should be potential starters on the Summer League roster. That’s what makes the franchise’s summer league team so compelling this year.
Last year’s first round draft pick Killian Hayes is a 6’5 natural point guard with exceptional court vision and quick hands on the defensive end. Those attributes allowed him to average 5.3 assists and a steal a game. Those numbers led the organization in assists and steals as a rookie, the first player to accomplish that since Isiah Thomas in 1982. Not bad for a player who just turned 20 less than a week ago. He struggled shooting the ball from the field and could use the summer to gain his confidence. That alone makes him a lock for the summer league roster he’ll need to show improvements in that department.
He’s most comfortable facilitating out of pick and roll where he can pick apart defenses. He’s like a veteran quarterback in the pocket surveying the field until he finds the crease and delivers a laser pass in the gap. He should be the primary ball handler on this team and if he’s ready to take the reigns it will show this summer. He’s been working diligently this off-season and we would all like to see growth in his offense for the second year guard.
Cade Cunningham was the consensus number one pick and labeled a generational talent in high school. He’s a 6’8 point guard and his size and length mixed with his basketball IQ makes him a coveted asset in today’s game. He’s often compared to Luka Doncic for his craftiness and ability to make timely shots.
He should eventually take over at the point guard position and what better way to showcase his ability than in the summer league competition. This gives the organization the opportunity to assess him and build trust in the rising star. His 3.5 assists in college doesn’t do justice to his passing abilities. He makes the correct reads in pick and roll consistently, dissecting defenses and finding shooters seems to be his forte. He’ll find ways to be effective in any role given however him playing on ball is what makes him special.
He has a uncanny ability to score and play make for his teammates when defensive schemes try to slow him down. He led all players at the collegiate level in clutch points with a astonishing 106 points. To put that in perspective no other player accumulated 65 last year. He’s projected to be a much better scorer than Hayes and will warrant his own touches. Not because he’s the number one pick it’s his high level skill set and strong IQ, more than likely the best option moving forward. With his scoring and decision making he should be a all star level talent right away. Detroit Pistons coaching staff needs to feed the beast he’s ready to eat!
Even though Killian was the seventh overall pick just a year ago, the potential of Cade wouldn’t allow the Detroit Pistons and General Manager Troy Weaver to pass on him. This opportunity in the summer puts the Pistons in a position to evaluate both players. They’ll have a decision to make before training camp but when you only won twenty games the year before competition at all positions is essential. It’s still early but the coaching staff will have to address the elephant in the room. Who’s going to be the primary ball handler moving forward?
We’ll get an early preview in the summer league.