Both Chaz Lanier and John Ukomadu made their impact felt in the Summer League
In the lead up to the Detroit Pistons pre-season officially beginning on Monday, Oct. 6 against the Memphis Grizzlies, it is an opportune time to take a look back at the squad’s Summer League endeavors to see who stood out back in July.
Most recently, the Pistons travelled to San Antonio for a matchup against the Spurs in the fifth of five Summer League games. Entering the contest, the Pistons were 3-1 in the Summer League and aimed to close out the developmental period on a strong note, but the Spurs were too tough to supplant at home as San Antonio claimed a 96-84 victory.
Despite the lackluster results, several young, promising Pistons had an opportunity to play meaningful minutes and seized the opportunity with strong performances, rookie Chaz Lanier and John Ukomadu standing out most prominently.
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To open the scoring for Detroit, Chaz Lanier, a second-round draft pick out of Tennessee, nailed a three-pointer from the wing in transition to quiet the crowd. In quick succession, Tolu Smith nabbed a pair of quick buckets, which included an alley-oop dunk off a baseline out-of-bounds play. Not long after, Lanier began driving the Pistons offense and sank two spot-up three-pointers from the wing towards the end of the first quarter.
During the second quarter, John Ukomadu showed off a diverse skill set and made an impact all over the court. To start, Ukomadu threw down a flashy reverse alley-oop slam dunk before following up that effort by knocking down a long range shot for three. Ukomadu then timed up a backdoor cut for a quick bucket before knocking down another three-point shot before the half concluded.
During the second half, Lanier and Ukomadu saw diminished minutes so that Detroit could spend more time evaluating the total squad, starters and bench alike. Lanier finished the Summer League game with 11 points, 1 rebound and 1 assist for a strong showing, particularly on offense. Ukomadu, on the other hand, added 12 points with 3 rebounds in his allotted 16 minutes against the Spurs.
After some impressive performances before this Summer League contest, second-year forward Ron Holland II did not feature in the game (coach’s decision), but he had already logged quality time up to that point.
Ukomadu would later sign an Exhibit 10 contract with the Pistons, and his dominant game against the Spurs may have helped cement his position as a player that Detroit wants to keep around for its long-term plans.
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