The Detroit Pistons kicked off their Summer League against the Oklahoma City Thunder with most people focused on rookie Cade Cunningham, but I was more interested in watching Sekou Doumbouya.
Sekou has been one of the focal points of the Pistons’ offseason, as some roster shuffling and additions might have left him the odd man out if he can’t show improvement.
The 20-year-old is on the Pistons’ Summer League roster, not a place he probably expected to be entering his third season, but a lack of offseason and G-League last season really hurt the young prospect, who came into the league very raw and in need of development.
Sekou has struggled just about everywhere offensively, looking tentative at times and relegating himself to a guy who can run the floor but mostly looks lost in the half court.
Doumbouya’s offensive game is still very raw, but that is not how he is going to earn minutes on this team anyway. If Doumbouya wants to play for the Detroit Pistons this season he’ll have to get it done on the defensive end, and he showed flashes of just that in the first Summer League game.
Detroit Pistons: Sekou Doumbouya can be a very good defender
It was just a Summer League game, so I am not going to overreact, but Sekou Doumbouya looked very good on defense in the Pistons’ loss.
He only had four points and four rebounds in the game, but he added a whopping five blocks and a steal, which is how he can make this roster.
On this play, Doumbouya was forced to switch onto the smaller man and Sekou moved his feet beautifully to stay in front of him. When Maledon fed a pass into the post, Doumbouya recovered quickly and made it all the way under the hoop for the big block as the shot clock ran down.
Doumbouya looked quicker, so hopefully spent the offseason working on his fitness, which often looked to be lacking last season.
Dwane Casey surely took notice, as he tends to reward players who commit to defense.
Detroit Pistons: Doumbouya’s defense is the key to his offense
I do not think Doumbouya is ever going to be a great shooter or a guy who is going to consistently beat his man off the dribble.
He does have a pretty good post game, and at some point should be able to develop into at least a league average 3-point shooter for his position.
But Doumbouya is already very good in transition and finishing at the rim, things he will get to do more often if he makes plays on the defensive end.
Blocked shots and steals not only lead to more fast breaks, but making those types of plays builds confidence and helps keep a player in the flow and rhythm of the game, which carries over to the offensive end.
Cade Cunningham is going to help Sekou in many ways, but the biggest is that he will find him on the break if Doumbouya gets a blocked shot and runs the floor hard to the other end.
It was just one Summer League game, so I am not getting too excited, but Sekou Doumbouya has shown flashes of how he can make this roster and rotation and I am cheering for him to get there.