Orlando Summer League: 10 big Pistons questions after Detroit’s latest win

Full disclosure: I didn’t get to watch very much of the Detroit Pistons 87-82 Orlando summer league win over the Charlotte Hornets yesterday. It seemed like a real doozy, as Henry Ellenson scored a game-high 29 points on 12-of-20 shooting (4-of-8 from downtown) and Pierre Jackson and Luke Kennard chipped in with 15 and 14 points, respectively. For full highlights of the Pistons-Hornets game, check here. For full Ellenson highlights from the game, check here.

The win advances the Pistons to the Orlando summer league championship game against the Dallas Mavericks today at 2 p.m., as both teams finished in the top two spots in the eight-team league. The Mavericks are led by a few players who have spent time in the NBA, namely point guard Dwight Buycks, shooting guard Luis Montero and forward Christian Wood.

Get those beers ready for the 2 p.m. tip if you are not working. If you are working, then get creative and enjoy it somehow — because remember there’s no more Pistons basketball for about 90 days after today!

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As I noted, I didn’t get to enjoy the game yesterday. However, while watching highlights can fill in some of the gaps in understanding how the game went or unfolded, it’s pretty hard to get a grasp on the flow of the game and all those other particulars. Plus, you can’t learn as much by missing each player’s flubs and missed shots and things like that. What’s the point if you can’t see how awful a player bricks a jump shot or a free-throw? You get the gist.

Fortunately, there were fans that caught the game yesterday and stopped by DBB to grace us with their analysis, thoughts and opinions. I want to make a specific shout-out to commentor bayoulion, who wrote in the game thread everything in their noggin on just about every Detroit summer league player. I can tell they watched most if not all of the four Pistons summer league games so far (bravo!). So if you missed them over on the game thread yesterday, here are the goods again from bayoulion:

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With the player analysis already taken care of, I want to throw some questions out there based on the action we’ve seen through four Pistons summer league games. I don’t expect the answers to change all that much based on what happens in the championship game today, unless of course Michael Gbinije explodes for 20 which very well may cause people to reconsider their view.

1. What percentage chance is there that Henry Ellenson cracks the rotation this season?
2. What percentage chance is there that Pierre Jackson finds himself with the Pistons organization as a two-way contract player? 2B: Or finds himself with another team on their actual regular 15-man roster this season?
3. What percentage chance is there that rookie Luke Kennard begins the season as the backup shooting guard?
4. What percentage chance is there that you will comment on one of the DBB article threads this season saying how much you wished that Detroit had drafted Donovan Mitchell instead?
5. What percentage chance is there that Michael Gbinije ever finds himself on another NBA regular season roster again?
6. How comfortable are you with Eric Moreland as the ‘third center’ on the team?
7. What percentage chance is there that Hollis Thompson gets a Pistons training camp invite? 6B. What percentage chance is there that he makes the team?
8. Say the Grand Rapids Drive sign stretch four Derek Willis, what percentage chance is there that he is one of the top two players on the team?
9. After center Mike Tobey managed just one decent game during this summer league, will you ever take me seriously again about talking up a fringe NBA prospect? (if you missed my Tobey debacle, here it is)
10. Even though summer league games pretty fun, they basically don’t tell you a whole lot?

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See you on the other side talking about a Pistons summer league championship hopefully!