Detroit Pistons: Some Summer League disappointments

Portland Trail Blazers guard Keon Johnson (6) shoots against Detroit Pistons guard Buddy Boeheim Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
Portland Trail Blazers guard Keon Johnson (6) shoots against Detroit Pistons guard Buddy Boeheim Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports /
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Detroit Pistons
DETROIT, MICHIGAN – JULY 30: From left, Detroit Pistons draft picks Cade Cunningham, Isaiah Livers, Luka Garza and Balsa Koprivica pose for a photo after the press conference on July 30, 2021 at the Pistons Performance Center in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images) /

Detroit Pistons: The Summer League disappointments

Balsa Koprivica and Justin Turner

Both of these players have professional experience yet were only able to carve out fewer than 15 minutes per game for themselves in the Summer League.

Koprivica, last year’s draft and stash guy, is now 22-years-old and really isn’t showing the kind of progress you’d like to see from an NBA prospect, either for his professional team Partizan NIS or in the Summer League.

Outside of one five-minute burst, he didn’t really look like an NBA player and was only able to get 11 minutes per game because of it.

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Same for Justin Turner, who is coming off a decent season in the G-League but was only able to get into three Summer League games.

Turner shot over 40 percent from long range in the G-League last season, so I thought he might have a couple of big shooting games in the Summer League, but he didn’t do much of anything.

Neither of these players had a real chance to crack the rotation next season, but you’d expect a bit more from guys who are more experienced than a lot of their Summer League competition.