The Detroit Pistons’ Summer League run ended last Friday with a 101-87 loss to the Miami Heat in a consolation game, leaving Detroit at 1-4 overall. Their lone victory came against the Cleveland Cavaliers, a 103-94 win.
Even with the record, the Pistons got real production from a few young players who made the most of the offseason stage. Chaz Lanier, Ebuka Okorie and Isaac Jones each turned in stretches that gave Detroit something to build on once Summer League play wrapped.
Lanier, the 2025 second-round pick and former Tennessee Volunteers guard, was the clearest bright spot. He consistently stretched the floor for Detroit and finished the event averaging more than 20 points per game while shooting 53.3 percent from three-point range. His two strongest outings came in back-to-back games against Cleveland and New York, when he piled up 49 points and hit 15 threes.
For a Pistons team trying to improve its perimeter shooting next season, that kind of efficiency from deep stands out. Lanier didn’t just score; he did it in a way that fits a clear need.
Okorie’s Summer League was more uneven, but the highs were loud. The No. 17 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft opened with a strong showing in Detroit’s 101-93 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, putting up 20 points and four assists while shooting 8-for-16 from the field. His shooting cooled after that, though he closed on a high note against Miami with 27 points, four rebounds and three assists on 9-for-20 shooting.
That kind of swing is part of the learning curve for a rookie, and Okorie still gave Detroit a look at what he can become when things click. The talent was there, even if the consistency wasn’t.
Jones, meanwhile, kept showing up on the box score. The two-way center scored in double figures in four of Detroit’s five Summer League games, with the only exception coming in the finale against the Heat. His best night came against Philadelphia, when he led the Pistons with 22 points, four rebounds and one assist on 9-for-15 shooting.
It was a solid showing from a young player trying to carve out his place, and one more reason the Pistons leave Summer League with more than just a losing record.
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