Detroit Pistons: 3 overreactions to the 2nd Summer League win
The Detroit Pistons remained undefeated in Summer League, notching their second win, but it came at a heavy cost.
Rookie Jaden Ivey rolled an ankle and had to leave the game after a spectacular start where he looked like the second coming of Ja Morant. Ivey was getting to the rim at will, knocked down a step-back 3-pointer and got to line for six free throws, scoring 11 points in just over five minutes.
Ivey’s injury put a damper on the entire game and it’s unlikely that we will get to see electric guard again in Summer League. Hopefully it’s just a minor blip that won’t set him back, but it’s not the start the Detroit Pistons were looking for, and Isaiah Todd just became the most hated man in Michigan.
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But it wasn’t all bad, as the Pistons got out to a huge lead and were able to hold on for their second win of the Las Vegas Summer League.
Summer League is the time of wild overreactions, so here are three from the second win.
Jaden Ivey will lead the Detroit Pistons in free-throw attempts!
Aside from his ability to beat defenders off the dribble, his potentially elite defense, and his high-flying finishes at the rim, Jaden Ivey is going to give the Pistons something they lacked last season, which is a guy who can regularly get to the free-throw line, and it may not be an overreaction to say he is going to lead the team in attempts.
Ivey got to the line six times in the first Summer League game (nailing all six) and had already gotten there six times in the second game in just over five minutes, again hitting all six of them.
The Pistons were 12th in the league in free-throw attempts last season but a lot of those left when Jerami Grant was traded. Cade Cunningham struggled in this area (mostly because he never got a call), averaging just over two attempts per game from the charity stripe.
Ivey’s above-the-rim athleticism and ability to beat defenders off the dribble are going to lead to a lot of foul calls, which is an weapon that all of the NBA’s top scorers employ. If Ivey is going to get to the line consistently, he has a very good chance to lead all rookies, and possibly the Detroit Pistons, in scoring next season.