Detroit Pistons rookie Ebuka Okorie showed you just about everything you’d hope to see from him during his first Summer League game. Now, he looks to keep the momentum going in game two against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Okorie scored 20 points and had four assists in his first game as a member of the Pistons. He was able to showcase a reliable 3-point jumper (2-of-4) and his special mix of speed, body control, and spatial awareness to get by his defender and find lanes at the rim. While he still obviously
has a long way to go, you could tell that even at the NBA level that burst, coordination, and intelligence is going to be a difference-maker. It needs to be, too, because it’s tough being an impactful guard when you’re only 6-foot-1 without shoes on.
Game Vitals
When: 4 p.m.
Where: Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nevada
Watch: Prime Video
Analysis
It’s a good thing Okorie showed up like he did because otherwise the Pistons lineup was pretty dreadful. Bigs were having trouble catching the ball, rebounding, defending, and finishing. The perimeter talent was mostly non-descript.
Isaac Jones, a Pistons two-way player, led the team with 22 points, and did at least do plenty of good things, but he also really struggled on defense. Second-year player Chaz Lanier, Detroit’s second-round pick last season, didn’t really show out like he needed to in a league where he should be far more advanced than the competition. As a catch-and-shoot guy, maybe his game isn’t conducive to taking over in Summer League, but at this stage, you can’t afford to be invisible. Lanier was largely invisible.
Roddy Gayle Jr., an undrafted rookie out of Michigan, mostly acquitted himself quite well, and Drake Allen, undrafted out of Utah State, showed himself to be an NBA (or at least G League)-level defender, if not NBA-level in other areas of the game. Otherwise, it was a bunch of forgettable guys delivering forgettable performances.
The Cavs were in their first Summer League game (a loss to the Pacers), with third-year player Nae-Quan Tomlin and rookie Meleek Thomas with 20 points apiece.
All I want to see tonight is an Okorie that is more aggressive in looking for his own shot and in creating his own offtense. It seemed clear he was looking to be more of a willing passer in Game 1, and it is important to show he can run an offense if he’s fighting to be a primary backup guard for the Pistons. But a lot of those passes went to bigs who could do nothing with them. It also meant the explosive Okorie, who averaged more than seven free throws per game in college, only got to the free-throw line one time. I want more of everything from Okorie, and a little less of everything else from Not Okorie.
