Jaden Akins is getting a fresh shot with the New York Knicks after the Detroit Pistons passed on him for their Summer League roster.
That move comes after Akins put together a strong year with the Motor City Cruise, Detroit’s G-League affiliate. He averaged 14.7 points and 4.8 assists while shooting just under 36 percent from three, good enough to earn a G-League All-Star appearance and establish himself as one of the Cruise’s breakout performers.
Even with that production, the Pistons opted not to keep him in the mix this offseason. Instead, Akins will now suit up for the Knicks’ Summer League team as he looks to earn another two-way contract.
The fit in New York gives him a real opening. Detroit’s Summer League group appears to be focused on the development of first-round pick Ebuka Okorie, who plays point guard like Akins did in the G-League this past season.
That would have made minutes hard to come by if Akins had stayed with the Pistons. With the Knicks, he’ll be joining a roster full of largely unknown names, which should give him a better chance to make noise.
Akins has been through this kind of fight before. His time at Michigan State wasn’t simple, either. The four-year Spartan was once mentioned as a possible transfer, but he stayed put even though he wasn’t getting the point guard role he wanted.
Instead, he slid into the two-guard spot because of AJ Hoggard and Jeremy Fears Jr. From there, he had to prove he could handle the ball and be trusted as a playmaker, even without the minutes at his preferred position.
He could have left and chased a different path elsewhere, but he stuck with it and came away with no regrets. That same toughness showed up again after he went undrafted and had to rebuild his game in the G-League.
That reset ended up working in his favor. Akins embraced the new role, turned the pressure into production and thrived.
Now the challenge is happening all over again with a new team. He’ll need to make his case in Summer League if he wants to land that two-way deal with the defending champs. And if his track record says anything, it’s that Akins has earned the benefit of the doubt.
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