Here’s your annual reminder to not overreact to Summer League performances, especially debuts. This is especially true when evaluating rookies who have no prior experience in the NBA.
Every year, there are tons of high-upside draft picks who end up having successful careers but struggle in the unique environment of summer league just weeks after getting drafted (or signed as undrafted free agents).
And there are also some standout performances from guys who go on to have ultimately disappointing careers. Let’s take a stroll down memory lane of Pistons summer league performances to highlight both examples.
Detroit Pistons’ Summer League legends
Current face of the franchise and one-time All Star/All-NBA player Cade Cunningham was drafted with the first overall pick in 2021. At that year’s Summer League, he made his debut in a Pistons jersey against the Thunder’s Summer League team.
Cade would struggle in that game and finish with some pretty rough shooting percentages, 5/17 from the field overall and 2/7 from three. He also struggled with ball security and had 5 turnovers that game. While Cade was able to fill the box score and contribute in other ways (six rebounds, two steals, two blocks) it was definitely an overall disappointing summer league debut for the top pick.
Fans had understandably mixed feelings about Cade’s Summer League performances but it was ultimately important not to overreact to either the bright flashes or the negatives. Cade is a premier talent who was drafted first overall for a reason so it would have been foolish to base significant assessments of his potential on a few Summer League games.
Going to the other side of the spectrum, we can look back a decade at the Pistons’ 2015 Summer League campaign. That year, the Pistons drafted Stanley Johnson out of Arizona with the 8th overall pick and he absolutely looked like a star in the making during the Orlando Summer League. Back then, there were a couple different summer leagues for teams to compete at, but Johnson was considered the best rookie across all the summer leagues.
Over his first four Summer League games, he averaged 17.8 points and 7.5 rebounds per game while shooting 64% from the field and 44% from three. He was also a playmaker on the defensive end, forcing several turnovers and getting his fair share of steals. Overall, he showcased a very solid all around game that had many singing his praises.
Unfortunately these flashes would not translate to the NBA for Johnson. He lasted 3 and a half seasons with the Pistons before being traded and topped out at 8.7 PPG in his third season. He showed some potential as a wing defender at the NBA level too but his offensive game never progressed enough to have a consistent role in the league.
Summer League is an interesting environment which can create non-NBA scenarios and lead to weird results sometimes. The overall quality of players on the floor is much different than the NBA and certain playstyles can thrive (especially post play) which may not have as much success in the big league. Additionally, many of the Summer League players are still very young and can improve significantly in coming months and years.
With all of this considered, it’s very important to take Summer League performances with a grain of salt. Trends of improvement over the games, and improvements from second-year players returning to summer league, are arguably more important than individual performances. And above all, we must make sure not to overreact.