Detroit Pistons: Ebuka Okorie Brought In For Self-Creating Ability

During the regular season, the Detroit Pistons relied on heavy contributions from Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren every game en route to 60 wins and possession of the top seed in the Eastern Conference. Cunningham landed on the All-NBA First Team and Duren on the Third Team, but that dynamic duo represented the bulk of the Pistons’ offensive firepower last year. 

As it unfolded, the Pistons drew the Orlando Magic in the first round of the playoffs, but Detroit struggled early on with turnover issues from Cunningham and an overall lack of production from Duren. The Pistons escaped that series in seven games, but JD continued to struggle against the Cleveland Cavaliers in round two as well. 

During that time, it became abundantly clear that the Cavs were crowding the paint to make life more difficult for Cade and JD, essentially daring Detroit to shoot from the perimeter at the same time. The Pistons would have really benefited from having another player on the wing outside of Cunningham who could create for themselves, but that’s been one point Detroit sought out to address during the offseason. 

In the draft, the Pistons made a trade to land former Stanford point guard Ebuka Okorie at No. 17 overall, and one of his selling points was an advanced ability to self-create after leading the ACC in scoring as a freshman. Okorie continued to flash an ability during the Summer League where the first-rounder averaged just below 20 points per game across that five-exhibition stretch. 

Last season, the Pistons had to scramble to establish stability at the one as Daniss Jenkins took some time to settle in, but with his returning presence joining Okorie behind Cunningham, Detroit could benefit from the depth and experience at the point guard spot. The Pistons have used Jenkins in off-ball formats as well, but he is expected to contend with Okorie for the back-up point guard role during training camp and the pre-season, but they both will be in the mix regardless of early seeding. 

In the past, Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff has conveyed the importance of having multiple players on the court who can handle the ball and initiate offense in the half-court, so it would make sense if Cunningham, Okorie, Jenkins or even Ausar Thompson all organized the unit at different times. Previously, the Pistons had Caris LeVert and Marcus Sasser contributing to playmaking duties, but Okorie will look to slide in and assume their share if not more as a rookie from the start. 

Even though it is only five games, Okorie had a productive experience in Las Vegas for the Summer League. The Pistons were 1-4, but Okorie was consistently productive as a scorer, created for others, controlled the tempo of the game and even exploded for a seven-steal performance against the Cavs along the way. Okorie was aggressive without playing too far beyond his means as a rookie, and he showed a lot of promise in terms of the early-season contributions he can make for Detroit. 

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