The Detroit Pistons are nearly finished with Summer League, as they play their 5th and final game today against the Orlando Magic.
The Pistons won’t have any of the rookies or 2nd-year guys who are projected to make the rotation on the court, so we’ll get a heavy dose of players who are long shots to make an NBA roster.
There have been some nice moments for the Pistons, particularly the play of Jaden Ivey before he got hurt, as well as fellow Rookie Jalen Duren, who looks ahead of schedule for an 18-year-old who hadn’t even practiced with the team.
I wouldn’t say there have been any shocks so far, as guys like Isaiah Stewart and Isaiah Livers played well as expected, and none of the fringe players have really stood out.
But there have been some surprising numbers from Summer League for the Detroit Pistons.
Detroit Pistons Summer League: 4 surprising numbers
12
Saben Lee averaged just 12 points in the 1+ games of Summer League that he played, which was a little surprising to me.
Lee absolutely dominated the G-League last season, though it never really translated into success for the big team.
I was expecting him to do the same in Summer League, where I figured he’d be dribbling circles around the competition and getting to the rim at will for finishes. Instead, he shot just 30 percent from the floor and really didn’t stand out.
This is probably a make-or-break year for Lee on the Detroit Pistons, who have a team option for next season on him for next season. I even see the possibility of him being waived this offseason if the Pistons don’t envision a way he can get minutes.
I was hoping Lee would look like a guy who was way too good for the Summer League, but he really didn’t.