The Detroit Pistons face the New York Knicks in Summer League action tonight at 8 p.m. on NBATV. Cade Cunningham is in the lineup for Detroit, which is not the experience for the rest of the top 10 picks. Already, Jalen Green, Jalen Suggs and Josh Giddey have been sidelined for Summer League with injuries.
While we’re all excited to see what Cade can do for game three, attention must be paid to the rest of the Pistons roster, and it’s not really pretty anywhere. Saddiq Bey has been decent, but he’s missing plenty of 3s, and focusing on playmaking and creating this summer as he looks to expand his game in year 2. The results have not often been pretty. Sekou Doumbouya is still doing his occasional Sekou cutting/energy stuff, but his jump shot is still busted.
Speaking of busted jump shots, Killian Hayes’ form is still a mess and his shot is still unreliable. Which is a shame because his passing and especially his defense have been pretty stellar.
Ostensible 3-point specialists Spencer Littleson and Frank Garza have not been particularly special from deep, and Saben Lee has had a few decent drives but his point guard play has been a mess and he’s often in a doomed 3-guard lineup wth Cade and Killian.
All in all, not a very fun watch. Here’s hoping tonight the Pistons learn how to hit some of their open 3s, somebody on the roster gets to the free-throw line, they put the ball in Cade’s hands and let him cook a bit and we get some fun, if dysfunctional, basketball.