Steven Crowl’s first real look with the Detroit Pistons in Summer League didn’t jump off the page, but one number may have bought him a little more runway.
The former Badger, who spent all of last season in the G-League with the Utah Jazz, had started to look like a player who might not get another NBA shot. Detroit changed that by bringing him in on a Summer League contract, giving him at least a brief chance to show he belongs in the league or, at minimum, on another G-League roster.
His debut with the Pistons didn’t come in the first Summer League game, when he didn’t play at all. In game two, he finally got on the floor for 8:25, which was the fewest minutes of any player who checked in. Two others didn’t play, but among those who did, Crowl’s role was tiny.
Still, he found one way to stand out: he posted the best plus/minus among Detroit’s bench players. In a game where every Pistons starter finished in the positive and every other reserve was in the negatives, Crowl was the lone bench player who wasn’t a liability.
The box score beyond that was quiet. Crowl finished with 0 points, 2 assists, 1 rebound and 1 block, and he didn’t take a shot. But those two assists at least showed he was able to fit into the flow and do something useful in limited time.
That matters because he arrived late, with practices already underway, and this was only his second game after signing as the Summer League was getting started. There hasn’t been much time for him to settle in, but there also isn’t much time for patience. Summer League is short, and Crowl needs to make his case quickly.
Game three should tell a lot about where this is headed. If his minutes and role grow, he may be on his way to another opportunity. If it looks like game two all over again, his camp may need to start making calls overseas and checking what international teams are offering for 7-foot big men with G-League experience.
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The optimism around the additions is real enough, but so are the familiar questions that hang over Wisconsin when the shot goes cold. Analysts see reasons for hope, yet they also point to red flags in the Badgers 2026-27 outlook, especially the possibility that the offense can bog down when the three-point ball is not falling. It is the same kind of concern that has trailed the program before, including during last seasons tournament run, and it leaves Wisconsin facing another test of whether a reset can become a step forward. [Read more 🡒]