Under the new CBA, finding cheap talent is more important than ever, and the Detroit Pistons hope they have found some in the Summer League.
The Pistons are off to a roaring 2-0 start in the Las Vegas Summer League after a 98-83 win over the Houston Rockets. Ron Holland II stole all the headlines after their game one win, but the effort was more balanced across the team in this one. All five starters had solid contributions, and even have some fans hopeful for added depth this season.
Detroit Pistons find balance in the Summer League but will any of them make the team?
After an incredible 28-point outing in the first game against the Knicks, Holland had a more modest performance with 15 points in this one. He also added three steals to cement his status as a 2-way player. Fellow 2024 draftee Bobi Klintman added seven points and nine rebounds at the power forward spot. Fans would ideally like to see some more production from the second-year player but he has shown flashes of his high-level feel for the game with ball handling, shots off the dribble, and defensive timing across two games.
The Pistons’ most recent draft pick, Chaz Lanier, had an up-and-down showing in this game. Similar to the first game, he did not shoot great percentages but did make some promising shots. Overall, he finished 5/14 from the field and 4/11 from three. Clearly, he’s not afraid to let it fly from deep and was able to connect on 3s in a variety of situations - spotting up, off movement, and in the dribble hand off game. The Pistons are hoping this can translate to a credible outside threat in the big league.
Center Tolu Smith also chipped in with a double-double, tallying 15 points and 12 rebounds. The 2nd year pro, who spent most of last season with the Motor City Cruise, has controlled the inside at Summer League and racked up two straight double-doubles along with his fair share of blocks. He even had a few flashy dimes in this game and finished with four assists.
Finally, the star of the show on Sunday: Daniss Jenkins. Jenkins showed off his well-rounded game with 23 points, six assists, two steals and a block. He was very efficient en route to his game-high point total, going 7-of-10 from the field, 3-of-4 from three, and 6-of-6 from the free throw line. Jenkins’ two-way play and improvements in shooting ability compared to his Motor City Cruise campaign last year already have some fans asking if he might be a solution at backup point guard for the Pistons’ main roster.
Summer League win-loss record ultimately does not matter much in the grand scheme of an NBA season but the Pistons’ team efforts have yielded promising results so far. Many of the guys on this Summer League team hope to get some time on the main roster this season, and this is a good chance for them to earn some trust. A 2-0 start and everyone playing well within the flow of the team certainly doesn’t hurt in that regard.