Detroit Pistons vs San Antonio Spurs Summer League Reactions

[Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Welcome to Pistons Talk Podcastame Show. Our final postgame show until the preseason starts. So, we are in the dog days of off season after this podcast is over. Hope you guys are having a great night. Good weekend. Uh Pistons just wrapped up their final summer league game against the San Antonio Spurs. This was a consolation game. Kind of just like a participation game, if you will. I I believe the Kings and the Hornets play for the championship game uh tomorrow. Um it’s kind of funny like the Kings I feel like are always in the championship summer league game. But you guys came here if you are watching. If you’re not, I understand. Piston Spurs. So, start off the game, I assume Dannis Jenkins wasn’t going to be playing because he was not in the starting lineup. Um, Zakai Ziggler was actually the starting point guard to start this game. So, I was like, “Oh, no. Dannis Jenkins, maybe they’re just shutting him down. Uh, that wasn’t the case. He actually played in the third quarter.” But, no Donis, no Ryan Holland. But, you still had your regular starters out there. Uh TJ Baker Staff uh started uh Bobby out there started. Um Chaz Laneir started obviously, but Pistons defense, believe it or not, to start this game really bothered the Spurs. The Spurs actually didn’t score their first point until like the five and a half minute mark in the first quarter. And the defense was really good. Uh Chaz Laneir hit three three-pointers um in this first quarter. Tuloo Smith was active as usual in the first quarter, but the Spurs kind of went on a run in this first. Got within four and eventually tied this game to end the first quarter at 19 apiece. Going into the second quarter, the Spurs came out really aggressive and took the lead from the Detroit Pistons and they never let up. between the second all the way to the fourth, the Spurs were in control of this basketball game. The only thing to really note um who played well was uh John U. If you guys know who that is, he was a you know walk-on for the Motor City Cruise. Actually, like a try out. Guess you can’t really call it a walk-on. More of like a a try out. We’ll get to him a little bit later in the podcast, but John U was really impressive. The Pistons got um within 11 points to uh going to halftime 53 to 42. Dis Jenkins did play in the third quarter which I thought he was just sitting out because he wasn’t in the starting lineup. Um Coach Vitali basically played everyone that didn’t play in the first half in the second half. So you saw like Bryce Williams out there. Um, you saw Dawson Garcia out there, the un the undrafted guys, undrafted free agent guys that we signed uh before some really they were out there. Nothing really to note in the third quarter. It was basically just all San Antonio. Uh, the Pistons defense was very lax and they just um weren’t really engaged um in the second half and it was a 7463 uh lead to end the third quarter and just going into the fourth was really nothing to know. just everyone that was on the summer league roster that we didn’t get to see in the first three games got an opportunity to play which I think is cool because you know a lot of these guys are fighting for G-League spots um possibly two-way contract so uh everyone got to play Pistons do lose to the Spurs in their final summer league game 96 to 84 and they finished the summer league 3-2 overall I mean I I I thought the first quarter for I don’t know, maybe the first sevenish minutes they looked like they were going to win this basketball game, but you know, defensively that it’s collapsed. Uh Spurs were just a little bit, you know, too active for them. Um you know, getting into the paint, shooting threes, just being more of the aggressive team, my personal opinion. But overall, it’s summer league. I mean, if you’re watching the final game of the Pistons summer league, no one should question your Pistons fandom. I mean, there are some guys on here that um probably won’t make an NBA roster. They might make the G-League or maybe they’ll sign with overseas, but a lot of these guys probably won’t make NBA rosters. So, if you watch tonight like myself, you are a definition of a Piston sickle and we love you. Uh, but I I do want to kind of just reflect with Chaz Laneir, kind of going over to the next topic of this podcast and just overall thoughts with him. Uh, in these summer league games, I thought there were some good, I thought there was some bad, but overall I liked what I saw out of Chaz Laneir um, in these summer league games, in these five summer league games. I I think the first thing that we can mutually agree with is Chaz Laneir can shoot the basketball. He’s got a very quick release. I think there are things with him that I want him to work on this summer going into training camp and possibly work on this preeason. I’d like to see him be a little bit more aggressive. I feel like during the summer league, there were times where he did pass up some pretty good looks. Maybe his feet weren’t set. Maybe uh he just didn’t like like the screen he was coming off of. But overall, I think there was a lot there that you like with a Chaz Lane Lenir. Um I think defensively he did make some good rotations in the summer league and there there is something there. I think now is it a lock down defender? probably not, but it it it’s a a defender that you’re not too worried about. He’s never going to guard your best defender. He he can definitely rotate uh helpside. Um I I think he’s going to be a pretty good um defender at the NBA level. There there’s a lot to like there with him in my personal opinion. I I saw some good instincts, some good reactions uh out of him defensively. You did see some playmaking as well. He does have the ability to pass the ball if he does get run off the three-point line and make a good read. Um I I think there’s some area of improvement with him to be a better playmaker. But, you know, five summer league games, I I think you saw the ability if they do run him up a three-point shot, he’s not going to force a bad jump shot or just a low percentage shot, he will pass it to his teammates and try to reset or come off the screen. So, overall, um, was really impressed with just his overall game. There was a lot to like and there’s some stuff for him to work on which I think he will. Um, you know, it’s July 19th. we don’t get preseason until like what second third week in September. So over these next two months, I’m sure he’s going to be working a lot with the Detroit Pistons uh coaches, teammates, and get better in those areas that we just discussed. But I was pretty, you know, satisfied with him overall um in this summer league. Obviously, there are other players, but I just want to kind of the focus on the rookie. Um we’ll probably recap the summer league a little bit more in depth later on next week. Not doing a podcast tomorrow. Just taking it off, you know, enjoy the summer, but we we will have a podcast later next week. Uh still trying to uh confirm a guest as of right now, but we will have a podcast for you guys next week. Did want to end the podcast talking about local kid uh Johnny U. Now, if you guys watch a lot of Motor City Cruise basketball, you know who John U is. You’re not too familiar. This guy paid over $250 to try out for the Motor City Cruise last year. Made the team, by the way, and was one of their better contributors last season. Now, he had a great game. He had 12 points tonight. And highf flyier, there’s a lot to like with him. I don’t know if he’s ever going to be an NBA player or even a rotational player or a two-way contract type of player, but I wanted to talk about him for a couple of minutes. I I feel like he does deserve um ju just the the airspace right now with it being, you know, the last summer league game. I think there’s a lot to like with the kid. Happy for him. I think it’s a really cool story. um if you guys want to kind of go down the rabbit hole and kind of just check him out, you know, his story, you know, um trying out for the Cruise last season, paying over $200 just for a try out to try to make the team and he did. Um and Jamal McMillan, who’s the head coach of the Motor Cruise, spoke so highly of him and how uh he was used, you know, a 67 forward that’s really bouncy, can shoot, uh get to the basket. there. There’s just a lot to like with the kid, but wishing him well. You never know. There’s a lot of NBA teams watching. Uh, a lot of these guys on these summer league rosters are fighting for G-League spots. They’re fighting for two contracts or even standard contracts for that matter. So, um, you never know who’s going to make NBA rosters around this time of year. I mean, there’s been a lot of NBA news, but it’s just been buyouts lately. like Bradley Beal and Marcus Smark today, which I swear I I thought I got sent both times. I was like, really? But hey, man. I know it’s not business related, but I mean, this some of the NBA news coming out has been like pretty dry. Um especially with free agency kind of dying down, open roster spots, trade exceptions that the Pistons do have. But don’t want to, you know, take up too much of your time, you guys. Um, again, Pistons do lose this one. 96- 84 was the final score, but we will see you guys next week kind of discussing just the summer league as a whole, kind of breaking it down and some other topics that uh I did come up with that I think you guys will be very interested to join the conversation when we do have a podcast next week. But hope you guys have a great weekend. Stay safe and as always you guys, go Pistons. Peace.

Today, I reacted to the Detroit Pistons’ final summer league game against the San Antonio Spurs and recapped the game.

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5 comments

  2. I thought Lanier had a fine SL honestly. A lot of the shots he took in the paint were some mid-long range jumpers, which we know isn't the most efficient shot. He looked like they had him trying stuff out. He didn't have any games where he didn't knock down a 3, he hit multiple 3s in 4 out of 5 games, and shot with a lot of volume in his minutes. I think he's probably going to spend some time in the G-League working on things the FO and coaching staff want him working on. But it was already a long shot for him to get minutes in such a guard heavy roster this year without injuries. Having a shooter his size working on stuff behind the scenes isn't a bad thing to have. Especially since we see how much better Daniss looks compared to last Summer League after a year in the G.

    The other thing is that this last game made it painfully obvious that I have no clue who they're prioritizing in SL at any given time, and what they're even trying to do in SL. Chaz was a draft pick from this year, but was basically 5th in the pecking order of importance for the first three games. All these guys that we brought in as UDFAs barely played, outside of Zakai Zeigler (whom I actually liked). This team's gonna do their own thing I guess. 😅

  5. Lanier does best when Ziegler is on the floor, problem is there's no chance they both make the roster. I doubt Lanier makes the roster at this point. Jenkins and Smith both have that gritty factor the Pistons love.

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