The Pistons are back in the familiar business of hunting for value, and Summer League is where that search begins.
Last season, Daniss Jenkins went from an emergency two-way option to a player starting in the playoffs, and the path he took is exactly the kind of outcome Detroit wants to repeat. Jenkins got his chance after Jaden Ivey was injured in the preseason, then made it impossible to ignore him. He outplayed the more highly drafted player, which made it much easier for the Pistons to move on from Ivey and keep the cheaper option.
That rise started in Summer League, where Jenkins immediately stood out. He scored in bunches, showed he could get into the defense, shot efficiently, and handled the ball without piling up turnovers in a setting where chaos usually wins. He also looked poised as a leader, and that performance helped push him toward a real role with the team.
Now the Pistons are asking the same question again: can they find another one?
The most obvious name is first-round pick Ebuka Okorie. He should have every chance to shine in this setting.
He’s quick, he can handle the ball, and he scores in bunches, which makes Summer League a natural stage for him. Since he was a first-round pick and is expected to make the team, his success would not come as a surprise.
Still, Detroit badly needs more playable ball handling, so the sooner Okorie proves he can help, the better.
Chaz Lanier is another player worth watching. He didn’t get much run last season, and the additions of Okorie and Isaiah Joe have likely pushed him further down the depth chart.
The question for Lanier is simple: can he shoot his way into a rotation spot? At 24, he’s already at the point where he needs to make a move or risk ending up in lesser leagues.
Brice Williams brings a different kind of intrigue because of his size. At 6-foot-7, he’s a guard with unusual length, and he’s another player who needs to show that his shot has improved.
That’s the whole Summer League exercise in a nutshell: you never know who the hidden gem is until somebody proves it. Detroit will be watching closely to see which player emerges as the biggest winner.
There’s a real reason this matters beyond Summer League bragging rights. The Pistons have been squeezing Jalen Duren this summer because every dollar counts under the current tax rules.
If a team wants more than one max player, cheap production becomes essential. Detroit already has a couple of those pieces in Jenkins and Javonte Green, but the pipeline has to keep producing two-way players, whether they come from the draft or from undrafted free agency.
Cheap impact isn’t a bonus anymore. It’s part of the job. So the Pistons are hoping the next Daniss Jenkins shows up starting tonight.
The game tips at 5:30 PM ET.
In Other News...
Pistons Have One Roster Decision Fans Can Already Feel Coming
Chaz Lanier arrived in Detroit with the kind of profile that usually needs one thing to stick: shooting. Instead, the second-year guard is heading into the new season with his place in the rotation looking far less certain, after a limited role last year and a rough stretch from deep that made it hard for him to carve out a clear niche.
The problem for Lanier is that the Pistons have only added more perimeter help since then, tightening the squeeze on a player who already needed every chance he could get. With so many options ahead of him and little room for error, his path to meaningful minutes is getting narrower by the day, and Detroit still has a decision to make about how much longer it wants to keep waiting on his development. [Read more 🡒]
Pistons May Have Found The Steady Backup Guard They Needed
Ebuka Okories first Summer League showing gave the Pistons a useful look at a rookie who seemed comfortable running the offense from the start. Starting at point guard, he scored 20 points on efficient shooting and showed the kind of ball handling and court awareness Detroit has been searching for behind its primary guards, while also creating his own shot when possessions broke down.
The more encouraging part for the Pistons is how cleanly he managed the game while still attacking. Okorie finished with four assists and one turnover, a line that hints at the steadiness Detroit needs from a secondary ball handler, and it leaves open a bigger question for the rest of the summer: whether this early performance is the beginning of a real rotation answer or just a promising first step. [Read more 🡒]
Pistons May Be Running Out Of Time For A Real Upgrade
The Pistons have already been active this offseason, finalizing a six-team trade and officially bringing in Kevin Huerter as part of the reshaping around their young core. It is the sort of move that adds a useful piece without changing the franchises trajectory, which is why the bigger question around Detroit has lingered: whether there was still a path to something more ambitious.
For now, that path looks increasingly narrow. Detroit has explored the market for a major upgrade, but contract limitations and roster math have made those kinds of swings difficult, and the Huerter signing also shut off one possible route for structuring a bigger deal. With the front office still needing to sort out its roster and Jalen Duren sitting near the top of the priority list, the Pistons may be approaching the point where the next meaningful move is less about chasing a splash and more about keeping their own pieces in place. [Read more 🡒]