Detroit — Later this week, the Pistons’ summer league team will travel to Las Vegas for a four-game slate during the annual showcase of the NBA’s best young talent. It’ll be an opportunity for many fans to see first-round picks Ausar Thompson and Marcus Sasser donning the team’s gear for the first time and playing against NBA-level competition.
And while Jaden Ivey, Jalen Duren and Isaiah Livers are among the Pistons’ main rotation players listed to participate in Summer League, fourth-year center James Wiseman will embrace the opportunity to receive more reps as well.
Wiseman, the former No. 2 overall pick whom Detroit acquired in a trade in February, appeared to be in a chipper mood following Monday’s summer league practice. For the first time since he arrived in Detroit, he wasn’t the new guy anymore. And for someone who’s dealt with devastating injury luck since entering the league in 2020, Wiseman was mostly thankful for the chance to play basketball.
“I’m just grateful to be healthy again,” Wiseman said. “Just to be out there playing and to be 100% and not worried about my knee or anything. Just out there playing and hooping and that’s what I like to do.”
When Wiseman arrived in Detroit, worries that his injury history followed him. He played in just 39 games of his rookie season with the Golden State Warriors due to multiple injuries. He was sidelined for his entire sophomore year in 2021-22 with a torn right meniscus. Overall, Wiseman has only appeared in 84 games through his first three seasons in the NBA. By comparison, Duren played in 67 games as a rookie last season.
After a limited role with the contending Warriors, Wiseman was dealt to Detroit, where he started in 22 of his 24 games. He gave a glimpse of what he’s capable of on offense with his interior scoring and mid-range game, while also serving as a solid rebounder. He averaged 12.7 points and 8.1 rebounds per game as the Pistons prioritized the development of their young players down the stretch of the season.
Wiseman is looking to double-down on that sample-size with a successful offseason, which includes 8 a.m. wakeup times before embarking on a three-a-day workouts.
“I’ve just been hooping,” Wiseman said when asked about his offseason regimen. “Since I haven’t been able to play in a while, (the gym) is where I live at. I just work on all aspects of my game.”
It is unclear how many games Wiseman or any of the Pistons’ second and third-year players will participate in, but it’s likely that the majority of the attention will be on Thompson and Sasser. Both players’ intensity on the defensive end stuck out to Wiseman.
“”How they play defense, how they’re dogs on both ends of the floor and really, how they’re jelling with us,” Wiseman said of the Pistons’ new set of first-round picks. “The chemistry is already really good.”
Sasser, the 25th overall pick, is a 6-foot-1 two-way guard who was acquired in a draft-night trade with the Boston Celtics. The sharpshooter will be able to give the Pistons another player who can stretch the floor and bring an edge of on defense. Sasser is a four-year player out of Houston, and Sasser believes the extra time in college prepared him to play in the NBA.
“I think it was the best thing for me,” Sasser said. “I feel more prepared when I got here. It wasn’t as big of an adjustment as I thought because of the four years in college. I feel like my body developed, my IQ — I’ve seen a lot of things on the floor.”
While Sasser has immense experience at the college level, Thompson is fresh off a two-year stint with the Overtime Elite basketball league, which prepares 16-20-year-old players for the NBA.
“Players are more athletic, stronger and smarter,” Thompson said when describing the initial difference. “At the end of the day, basketball is basketball…I’m better than I was my first day and better than I was my second day.”
The Pistons will continue to practice until they fly west ahead of their summer opener against the Orlando Magic. Tip-off is set Saturday at 5 p.m. and the game will be televised on ESPN. That game is the first of a back-to-back as Detroit will play Houston on Sunday, a highly-anticipated game since Thompson will face his brother and the Rockets’ No. 4 pick, Amen Thompson, for the first time on an NBA court.
Joseph signs with Warriors
After three seasons with the Pistons, Cory Joseph will move on to a contending team.
The veteran guard has agreed to a one-year contract with the Golden State Warriors, according to a report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Joseph served as one of the calming voices in the Pistons’ young locker room. He provided relief at the point guard position as a reserve while Cade Cunningham was sidelined with a season-ending injury. He appeared in 62 games and averaged 6.9 points, 1.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists.
The Warriors’ addition of Joseph provides depth at the point guard position to serve as relief for Stephen Curry and Chris Paul, who was recently traded from the Washington Wizards.
Joseph’s decision to leave Detroit likely stems from the logjam at the guard position. The Pistons could enter the 2023-24 season with four point guards, including Cunningham, Sasser, Killian Hayes and Monte Morris, who was recently acquired in a trade with the Wizards.
mcurtis@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @MikeACurtis2