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Tip: 1 p.m. EST
How to see it: NBA TV or NBA.com downloadable gizmo
No Drummond, mo problems. The Pistons get absolutely hammered by the Boston Celtics in game 2 of Orlando Summer League, and a large part of the problem was not having star big man Andre Drummond in the lineup.
With his summer tuneup out of the way, Drummond has shut it down and that means the Pistons are relying on Slava Kravtsov and Tony Mitchell to man the paint. They and the scrubs behind them, were not up to the task as Detroit got smoked 93-63 in a game that was not competitive from the first minute.
But today is a new day!
UPDATE: According to Vince Ellis, Andre Drummond is playing today. My mistake. I look forward to Drummond and Mitchell grabbing all the rebounds and blocking all the shots.
Storylines for Game 3 against the Thunder
Paging Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
The Pistons first-round pick (and contender at starting shooting guard) has had a rough first two games of summer league. His shot is not falling (1-10, 0-8 from deep in game 1, 3-10, 1-6 from deep in game 2), and according to Mike Payne, our man on the ground, he might or might not be bothered with a stiff back.
Either way, with this team desperate for upgrades along the perimeter it would be nice to see KCP have a high-scoring, efficient outing tonight.
That being said, the upgrade he will provide on defense is already apparent. For those with memories of Ben Gordon and to a lesser extent Brandon Knight struggling to guard twos seared into our brains this is a welcome addition.
Tony Mitchell -- Good job, good effort
Mitchell was pegged as a possible steal of a second-round draft pick and it's not hard to see why. His athleticism is off the charts and he made his presence known against the Celtics. But it was also not hard to see why he slipped into the second round in spite of all of his natural talents. His effort hasn't always been there and when he coasts you can tell.
Hopefully coach Rasheed Wallace will have something to say about that.
Still, he's been the closest thing to a bright spot on the Pistons so far in summer league (Drummond excluded).
Is Peyton Siva a legit backup point guard?
For someone who doesn't have a semblance of a shot, I've been surprisingly impressed with Siva through two games. While being surrounded with a ragtag bunch of underperformers and incapbable-of-performers, Siva has controlled the offense, looks like he knows how to negotiate a defense, routinely makes solid decisions and plays good pressure defense. If he had better teammates he might have eight assists.
Kim English's time with Pistons might be winding down
As much as it pains me as the conductor of the FGOTB train, I don't see how Kim English sticks with this team. He was drafted for his incredible 3-point shooting coming out of college and he proceeded to shoot 28 percent from deep last season. And through two summer league games he is shooting 2-9 from deep and hasn't done anything else of note to make up for it.
In its current configuration the Pistons will be a dreadful 3-point shooting team off the bench and that means whoever takes the final roster spot has to at least deliver the possibility of solid perimeter shooting. English hasn't shown that and he has a fully unguaranteed contract if he is waived by July 12.
Goodbye, Kim. You heard it here first.