We haven’t seen much of the Detroit Pistons’ two-way players this season, other than in street clothes on the bench. Syracuse rookie Buddy Boeheim has one of Detroit’s two-way spots and has not gotten much time with the squad, other than during the preseason and one garbage time minute in the second game of the regular season.
The famed coach’s son has spent most of his season, as expected, with the Motor City Cruise, which hasn’t yielded much for the Detroit Pistons in terms of player development.
The rookie shooter popped off in his most recent game in the G League, going for a career-high 26 points, along with four rebounds and two assists. He went 6-for-10 from three and a perfect 3-for-3 from inside the arc in 31 minutes in a win against the Greensboro Swarm.
Another Cruise @nbagleague career-high today, this time from @Buddy_Boeheim35🔥#HustleAndDrive pic.twitter.com/0SM9w6axul
— Motor City Cruise (@MotorCityCruise) February 15, 2023
Buddy Boeheim finishes with 26 points today vs the @greensboroswarm he caught up with @evstockton after the game #gleague #pistons #HustleAndDrive pic.twitter.com/xm0mOuS2dM
— The PreP (@ThePrep3) February 15, 2023
Detroit Pistons: Does Buddy Boeheim deserve NBA minutes?
Players on two-way deals are limited to 50 games on their team’s active list, while being able to participate in NBA practices, workouts and other team activities freely.
Boeheim is included on the Pistons’ injury report most nights, simply marked as out with the Motor City Cruise due to his two-way contract.
Buddy is a scorer, mainly off of jumpers. He shot over 36 percent from three over his four years at Syracuse, including averaging 19.2 points per game while starting in all 32 of his 32 games played during his senior year.
Does he have legitimate upside as an NBA prospect? I’m not so sure. Realistically, I’m not sure if Boeheim will ever be a mainstay on any team’s 15-man roster, mainly due to his defense.
But, in a season where the Detroit Pistons don’t have much else to write home about, he may be able to get some minutes in the league.
Surely, with the main team, Boeheim would likely come off the bench to provide a scoring spark and some 3-point shooting when needed. The Pistons may only include him on a night’s active roster for emergency minutes in case those in front of him get into foul trouble.
But, as we gear toward the end of the season, some veterans may be shut down to look forward to next season. Hopefully alleviating any risk of potential injury as the Pistons fully ingratiate themselves within a tank race to round out their final games.
Boeheim is already in house and has spent time familiarizing himself with the system. He’s a part of the team, and the end of the season may be the best time to give him a proper evaluation, determining whether he’s someone to keep around.
On the regular season, Buddy is averaging 11.5 points in 25 minutes per game. He’s also shooting at 41.6 percent from three on seven attempts per game. That averages out to almost three 3-point makes per game.
He’s played his way into a conversation for a look at the highest level, providing floor spacing and high efficiency 3-point shooting at the very least.
The Syracuse product who hails from a notable basketball lineage could be a new face to root for as the Pistons crawl towards the season’s finish line.