LAS VEGAS — It was expected to be a marquee matchup against the fourth and fifth overall picks of the draft — twin brothers Amen and Ausar Thompson.
Instead, it was the Jabari Smith Jr. show.
The Detroit Pistons didn’t have an answer for the third pick of the 2022 draft, who put on one of the biggest performances in the Summer League to lead the Houston Rockets to a 113-101 win, handing the Pistons their first loss. Smith finished with 38 points, seven rebounds and six assists, thriving in a point-forward role with Amen in street clothes with a sprained ankle.
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Detroit dropped to 1-1 overall after opening Summer League with an 89-78 win over the Orlando Magic on Saturday.
Ausar didn’t get to face his brother but otherwise thrived with another all-around performance. He finished with 12 points, eight rebounds, six assists, three steals and two blocks while making 6-of-13 shots.
The Pistons also got big performances from Jalen Duren (23 points, 10 rebounds and a block) and Jaden Ivey (22 points, 10 assists, 9-for-15 shooting). James Wiseman had a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Houston had a hot shooting night, knocking down 52.4% of their shots overall. Detroit struggled behind the arc (9-for-29) and turned the ball over 17 times.
Ivey bounces back after tough opener
Perhaps he just needed to shake off some rust.
Ivey was Detroit’s best player on Sunday, putting together an all-around strong performance in a game the Pistons fell flat as a whole. His game was on the opposite end of the spectrum compared to Saturday, which saw him turn the ball over four times in the first six minutes and struggle to hit shots afterward.
He was in control against Houston, looking more like the player who started 73 games, showed significant growth as a lead ball-handler and earned Second Team All-Rookie honors. He attacked open space and knocked down midrange jumpers, and patiently set up his teammates.
His third quarter was his best. In a three-minute stretch, he found Thompson in transition for a dunk, knocked down a 3, hit Duren for an alley-oop dunk and then completed a 3-point play for his 20th points of the night. Ivey kept rolling in the fourth, finding Wiseman for an alley-oop with less than two minutes left to cut the deficit to 11, 108-97.
Ivey had less to prove than others after a promising rookie season, but it was a reminder of what he brings to the team.
Thompson makes all-around impact, again
Thompson’s coach and teammates had a lot of nice words for him after his summer league debut on Saturday. He didn’t score many points, but his rebounding, passing and defense highlighted why Troy Weaver compared him to Andre Iguodala after the draft.
Sunday was a step forward for the rookie as he stuffed the statsheet and was more involved as a scorer. He might’ve been responsible for the highlight of the day for Detroit, receiving a bounce pass in transition and immediately bouncing it behind him to Wiseman for a dunk through contact. His five total assists were second on the team after Ivey, and he continued to thrive as a secondary playmaker.
Thompson was also effective at the rim. He got on the board early in the first quarter by tipping in a miss from Wiseman, he finished a layup through contact and punched in two dunks off of passes from Ivey. Defensively, he led the Pistons in steals (3) and blocks (2).
Away from the rim, Thompson was less effective as he missed the basket on multiple attempts. His midrange and outside shooting may be an ongoing work of progress, but the Pistons should otherwise be happy with Thompson’s unselfishness and defensive versatility — two of the primary reasons they valued him so highly in the draft.