NBA Summer, Day 1: Pistons vs. Thunder
It can be a struggle to find superlative performances this early in the Summer League season. That was not the case in Saturday’s OKC vs. Detroit tilt thanks to the Pistons’ past two 1st Round picks, Henry Ellenson and Luke Kennard.
Ellenson put on a dynamic offensive performance, draining outside shots, turnaround jumpers and showing off a freshly-minted set of post moves. This all added up to 21 points, 9 boards and the most noteworthy performance of any top prospect on Day 1 of the Orlando Summer League. Look for him to take a significant leap in his sophomore season, making a perfect scoring complement to the offensively-challenged Andre Drummond.
Kennard’s game had everyone in Detroit nodding in approval. The shooting numbers weren’t flawless, but understand that all but one of Kennard’s misses were a matter of centimeters. His stroke and ability to score off the dribble are as advertised: deadly.
Granted, both are a bit of a black hole when they get the ball. Ellenson will pump fake/pivot until he gets the space to shoot, while Kennard’s confidence in his shot never wavers. But then again, aren’t true shooters exactly what the Pistons have been lacking?
Dakari Johnson appeared light years away from being an NBA player when left Kentucky after his sophomore season in 2015. But following a strong Year 2 in the G-League, Johnson displayed the kind of strides he’s made as he served as OKC’s focal point on offense for many of his minutes Saturday. Johnson’s game isn’t exactly “modern” — he’s a classic big who sets up show on the low blocks and just moves people — but he finished at the basket with great efficiency. Another year of conditioning and refinement in the minors, and the Thunder could have a starting-caliber center.
Vince Hunter can put up 20-and-10 every day here in Orlando, and it may make no difference to his NBA future. This is the thankless life of an undersized big man with no outside game and it’s an unfortunate reality.
