Detroit Pistons: Monster games and poster dunks from the G-League

The Motor City Cruise now have the G League Winter Showcase behind them and are into their regular season schedule. The Detroit Pistons’ affiliate is trying to figure out who they are as a team. Individually, members of the Cruise are working to prove that they are worthy of true NBA minutes.

The Winter Showcase takes place in Las Vegas, and gives G League players the opportunity to compete in front of many executives and decision makers for NBA teams.

In Vegas, the Cruise split their two contests, defeating the G League Ignite and dropping their following game against the Memphis Grizzlies affiliate, the Memphis Hustle.

After the showcase, the Cruise have dropped four of five games to begin their regular season schedule.

As the team’s overall record leaves much to be desired, the roster has undergone some key changes leading to new faces taking over the main scoring and playmaking opportunities.

Most notably, the Pistons waived two-way forward Braxton Key, subsequently signing Jared Rhoden to then fill the open two-way spot.

Since joining the Cruise, Rhoden has seen a heavy role. He has started in four of his five games with the team, averaging over 36 minutes per game. The scoring has followed the large minutes volume, averaging close to 15 points and nine rebounds per game.

On top of Rhoden, the leading scorer by a landslide is Devontae Cacok.

The Pistons signed Cacok to an Exhibit-10 contract in October and he was assigned to the Cruise shortly after. Notably, Cacok won an NBA championship with the Los Angeles Lakers during their run in the bubble.

With the Cruise, Cacok has been balling. He’s averaging over 25 points and nine rebounds per game, including a whopping 44 point, 17 rebound game in a New Year’s Eve win over the Windy City Bulls.

Cacok is serving as the offensive cog. He could find his way into a call up if the Pistons are thin due to injury.

In December, the Cruise also added another big piece for their team by acquiring David Nwaba from the Lakeland Magic for a second-round pick and the player rights to Micah Potter. Nwaba has a solid amount of NBA experience, spending his past two seasons with the Houston Rockets.

With the Cruise, Nwaba has started in all five of his games with the team, averaging 14 points and four rebounds on a small sample size. Nwaba could spot fill in some games for the Detroit Pistons if warranted. However, I’d say that Cacok would be the more likely call up if the Pistons do find themselves in need.

One of the most polarizing players on the current roster is Ryan Turell, who the Cruise drafted in the first round of this year’s G League Draft. Turell is a first-year wing out of Yeshiva University, who’s trying to become the first Orthodox Jewish player in NBA history.

Turell is a development product, who has an uphill battle to make his way into the league. He has seen an uptick in minutes over the past five games, averaging 15 minutes off the bench. His best game came recently against the Capital City Go-Go, scoring 21 points off the bench, including 4-of-5 from three.

The Yeshiva product’s inspirational story brings along a close following, and potentially some added pressure. Turell hasn’t let this halt his development to this point, showing some impressive moves to make the most of his minutes with the Cruise.

Detroit Pistons: New from around the G-League

Outside of the Cruise, there are plenty of interesting happenings around the G League. Currently, it’s tough to have any G League conversation without mentioning the no. 2 prospect for the next NBA Draft, Scoot Henderson. Henderson is spending his season with the G League Ignite and putting on a show nightly. He’s averaging around 20 points per game for the Ignite, with many eye-popping dunks and ‘how did he do that’ plays that cause instant virality.

Aside from Henderson, there are a handful of NBA Draft prospects currently playing for the Ignite, including 19-year-old Leonard Miller. Miller, a long 6-foot-10 wing, is the best prospect on the Ignite not named Scoot Henderson.

Thanks to his frame, he can rebound the ball at ease, as well as play with the ball in his hands and shoot with confidence – two traits that can be hard to come by for players standing at his height. Depending on how the rest of his G League season and pre-draft process shakes out, Miller can very well be a first-round pick come draft night.

The G League season continues through March, and gives prospects ample time to make their case to join a NBA rotation or hear their name called in this year’s draft. For Detroit’s affiliate, it will be interesting to keep an eye on the increasing role of Rhoden, who could suit up and see some minutes for the Detroit Pistons this season thanks to his new two-way status with the organization.