Ebuka Okorie didn’t get much runway Monday night, but he used what little he had to leave a mark.
With the Pistons leaning into more pace and space this season, the rookie guard finally got a late-game look against the Wizards and made it count. Okorie logged just under six minutes and scored five quick points, highlighted by an and-one up-and-under layup in transition.
That brief burst offered a reminder of why there’s still intrigue around his game. Detroit has been searching for another creator in the backcourt alongside Cade Cunningham, but Okorie hasn’t been able to carve out steady minutes early in the year. Daniss Jenkins has been handling that role for now, though he doesn’t bring the same handle or burst to get all the way to the rim and crack defenses open.
Against Washington, Okorie showed the kind of touch that makes him interesting. One of his baskets came on an acrobatic reverse layup in transition, with a defender closing hard and Okorie still finding a way around both the contact and the rim for a slick finish. His other score was a floater in the lane off a pick-and-roll.
Those two makes hinted at the kind of shot-making the Pistons could use more often from someone other than Cunningham. Okorie doesn’t look ready to handle 20-plus minutes a night yet, but the source of his appeal is obvious: the ceiling is there, and it could show up as soon as this season if the development goes the right way.
There was also a sense that he was trying to be careful with every touch, almost playing like a rookie afraid of making one mistake too many and ending up back on the bench. That’s not the kind of setting that helps a young player grow. When games get out of hand, either in Detroit’s favor or the other direction, those are the moments when Okorie should be getting real developmental minutes.
That’s where Jenkins complicates things. Entering the season, some Pistons fans thought Okorie might quickly jump him on the depth chart as the backup point guard. Instead, Jenkins has played well enough to push himself even higher in the rotation.
At this point, Jenkins looks secure not just as the backup, but as a possible spot starter depending on injuries and matchups. With him and Cunningham soaking up so many minutes, the path for Okorie gets even narrower. That makes the blowout minutes all the more valuable, because that’s where Detroit can best bring him along and let him learn the NBA game in real time.
In Other News...
Pistons May Have Found A Needed Answer While Jalen Duren Sits
With Jalen Duren sidelined, the Pistons turned to a different look against the Wizards and got exactly the kind of response they needed. John Collins drew the start at center for the first time this season, and the move came after Detroit had dropped two straight, so there was a little more urgency behind the decision than a simple lineup tweak.
Collins rewarded the coaching staff with a strong all-around showing, finishing with 24 points and 10 rebounds in a dominant win. The performance gives Detroit a potentially useful short-term answer in the middle while Duren is out, and it leaves the Pistons with something to consider if they want to keep that look going. [Read more 🡒]
Pistons Found A New Spark That Could Become A Serious Problem
JB Bickerstaffs latest lineup tweak gave the Pistons a different look and, for a night, a needed jolt. By moving Daniss Jenkins into the starting group and sending Paul Reed to the bench, with John Collins sliding in at center, Detroit played with more pace and found enough offense to come away with a win. It was the kind of adjustment that can change the feel of a game quickly, especially for a team still trying to sort out what its best version looks like.
The tradeoff, though, was obvious once the ball started going the other way. The smaller setup left Detroit exposed inside, and Anthony Davis took full advantage, piling up 44 points while controlling the glass. For the Pistons, the question now is whether the boost in tempo is worth the defensive risk, because the new look may have created a spark even as it opened the door to a problem that could linger. [Read more 🡒]
Pistons Exposed A Wizards Problem Anthony Davis Couldnt Ignore
The Wizards recent slide has been about more than just missed shots and empty possessions. After four straight losses, their defense has become the bigger concern, with Anthony Davis pointing to the kind of breakdowns that usually show up in the ugliest kinds of defeats: poor rebounding, too much fouling and far too many clean looks for opponents. What had looked like an early-season strength has slipped into a more ordinary place, and the offense has not been good enough to cover for it.
For a Pistons team watching the East closely, that kind of decline is hard to ignore because it changes how Washington has to play every night. The Wizards are no longer getting the defensive edge that helped them start well, and once that foundation cracks, the rest of the roster has to work harder to keep games under control. The lingering question now is whether this is just a rough stretch or the start of a deeper problem they have not fixed yet. [Read more 🡒]