| Summer League Analysis: Game 1, Vs. Philadelphia Authored by J.T. Magee - July 10, 2007 - 3:25 pm
Detroit comes into the Las Vegas Summer League with around 4-6 players who will likely be on their roster on opening night. Although Amir Johnson didn’t play, the rest of the Pistons held it together and pulled out an overtime win over the Philadelphia 76ers. They drafted a couple of ready-now prospects and, if they play like they played against the 76ers, they’re going to see action immediately.
Jason Maxiell
Maxiell was a flat-out beast. His strength and tenacity were unmatched. Louis Amundson matched his intensity, but was not strong enough to contend with Maxiell. He threw down a huge dunk that started a night of great interior play. His box-outs were rugged and his post game looked like it has improved. Maxiell knows his limitations with his body and uses them to his advantage. Most players who are bulky will not use their lower body strength. Maxiell is the exact opposite, using his girth to clear room, grab boards and time his blocks after he clears enough space to get to the ball. Maxiell was the overall player of the day for Detroit and would be the best, but Mejia’s heroics will have a place as the best player because his shot won the game. Since this article is about each player playing to his strengths within the team, Maxiell was the best.
Rodney Stuckey
I knew he was one of the steals of the draft, but man; did he have an efficient game or what? I’ll get to his negatives in a little bit, but his play as a point guard was off the charts for a combo guard. He was able to get into the lane with his hesitation handle and to the free throw line with his core body strength. He was able to make the right pass and make it look effortless. He was solid on defense, even though he was the culprit of most of Louis Williams’ attempts at the free throw line. This kid can flat out play. If he were in the Pac-10, the ACC or Big 12, there would be no way he would go past Sacramento. As it stands, Stuckey’s big knock was he was dominating inferior competition. Today, he dominated superior competition.
He looked like a legitimate go-to option, both as a scorer and as a point guard, against Philadelphia. Unfortunately, the most crucial time of the game was when he made the biggest turnover and let the Sixers back in the game by losing his dribble and practically giving it to Williams. He reached in too much on the perimeter and made some unnecessary fouls. His assist-to-turnover ratio was below 1.0 and that’s usually the barometer to determine how good a point guard plays. Stuckey still has ways to go as a point guard, but he’s by far the best combo guard in Las Vegas. Could not have been happier with his performance against Philly.
Arron Afflalo
Afflalo is a top-notch defender who was a winner in college. What we found out about him in his action against Philadelphia is he has more offensive game than he showed at UCLA. Afflalo has a strong handle and surprisingly quick feet when driving into the lane. He uses his body to create space and is able to get to the rim. He’s not an athlete like Rodney Carney, but his overall feel for the game, especially offensively, more than makes up for it. For being renowned for his defense, Afflalo will have to continue his strong play offensively to make a mark as a legitimate replacement for Rip Hamilton and potentially Tayshaun Prince. Good overall game from Afflalo because of his offense, both one-on-one and within the team’s offense.
Cheikh Samb
Samb added a lot of muscle between now and last year at this time. There were a lot of positives to take away from Samb, even though he’s clearly a couple of years away from making any sort of playing time dent in Detroit’s frontcourt. He moves well for his size, but he needs coaching to perfect his footwork. He showed good instincts on defense by being in the right position for blocks and rebounds. His added weight really makes a difference in the post compared to last year. The big difference between him and a guy like Mouhamed Sene is his jump shot. He has a soft touch on his jump shot and looks comfortable shooting around 20 feet. He played a role and played it well for Detroit. Can’t expect much else out of him. Unless he goes bananas on the boards and on the offensive low-post, no one should expect eye-popping play. He’s worth keeping an eye on at the LVSL.
Sammy Mejia
Mejia looked like he was about to go undrafted when Detroit snatched him up at 57. He has a nice midrange game because of his shot and how he moves around the area. He was never in anyone’s way and never tried to take over the game. He made the game-winning shot with .4 left on the clock in overtime, so at least we know he can be clutch. I didn’t get as much out of Mejia as I wanted to, so I’ll have to look for him more against Memphis and Rudy Gay. Decent game, but nothing that really stood out, aside from his shot in overtime.
Laron Profit
Profit is a journeyman who has made a decent career for himself bouncing in and out of the NBA. He is a versatile player because he is comfortable being a primary ball handler as well as the last guy to touch the ball on offense. He is a steady defender because he’s played against so many different players, both in the NBA and overseas. Profit also owns the longest message board thread on any NBA player in the whole world, so it’ll be hard for anyone to touch his digital street cred. In this game, he used his ability to get into the lane and try to create for others. He didn’t try to force the issue, but there were a couple of possessions where he was trying to do too much. It usually isn’t a bad thing, but he was also taking away from Detroit’s play as a team both on offense and defense. He had a quiet game but was effective in his minutes.
Ali Traore
Although Traore has the body and physical tools to play in the NBA, his lack of boxing out and rebounding skills hurt his stock. On offense, he was decisive with his post moves, usually finishing with his left hand, although he shoots jump shots with his right. The main problem with him was he seemed to be on the wrong end of the box out and he gave up a few offensive rebounds because of it. In the NBA, rebounding is a big part of a team’s success. Only three of the teams in the top 20 in rebounding weren’t represented in the playoffs. Traore has to rebound at this level of competition in order to secure a roster spot. He has the potential and tools, but against the likes of Herbert Hill and Rashad Jones-Jennings, he failed to establish himself as a better rebounder than those two. The more he shows a knack for boxing out and a nose for the ball will result in a team giving him a try as a bench player.
Eddy Fobbs, Ibrahim Jabeer & Walker Russell
There seems to be a group of players on each team that I fail to fully watch. Each player at the Las Vegas Summer League is worthy of an NBA roster spot for one reason or another, but I seem to failing to be able to watch everyone. If I had more time on my hands to go back and watch these games a couple of times, I’d be able to break down every player, but that’s not the case. Jabeer has a good handle and exceptional court vision. That’s about all I can say. I’ll have to be on the look out for them in Detroit’s next few games.
Overall View
Detroit’s starters played very well within the offensive game plan. Each player brought versatility, although the two that stuck out the most, Maxiell and Stuckey, are the two who will see the most action during the regular season. If Amir Johnson were here, I’d be raving and bragging how I predicted Detroit would pick him with their 56th pick back in 2005. Once he agrees to his contract, we’ll all see why GM Joe Dumars is so high on this kid as the Pistons’ future power forward. His skill set is better used by small forwards, but he will have a huge advantage as a 4 because of his athleticism, handle and all-around skills. He’d be a great player to watch against Memphis, but Detroit will have to D up Tarence Kinsey, Mike Conley and Gay in order to have a chance. |
