The Detroit Pistons began their Summer League campaign with a 101-93 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, but rookie point guard Ebuka Okorie shined all game long
Two nights ago, the Detroit Pistons experienced their first taste of Summer League ball, but the contest did not unfold how they would’ve hoped with a 101-93 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. The Pistons did not hold a lead in the game for even a single moment, though they did tie the matchup in the fourth quarter, but that type of performance was not as complete as their coach hoped for.
“I want to see 40 minutes of Pistons hoops,” Detroit Pistons Summer League coach Steve Scalzi said after the game. “We didn’t start that way. I thought we hit it at strides, we had stretches of it. We need to see all 40 minutes of that, and we know what that’s defined by, right? We compete together with discipline, with grit and we try to repeat that over and over until the other team gives into it.”
Although the Pistons are looking for a more consistent effort from their Summer League squad, rookie point guard Ebuka Okorie was able to consistently ratchet up his production as the game went on. By the time the final buzzer sounded, Okorie was able to register 20 points, four assists and two steals in his Detroit debut with several flashes that clearly illustrated why the Pistons were so eager to grab the Stanford guard in the first-round of the 2026 NBA Draft.
”He had a nice, steady pace to him,” Scalzi said. “I expected some nerves, but he looks calm as steel and I love that about him. He’s got a nice way about him, and the group follows his lead as well. I think he’s going to obviously get comfortable as the week goes on more and more, and I saw that in the game today.”
In college, Okorie set himself apart from other freshman scorers with his ability to carry Stanford from an offensive perspective, and that ability predicated his selection to the AP All-America Honorable Mention list. So, it’s safe to say that the 6-2 guard with a 6-7 wingspan is littered with positive attributes that the Pistons hope to showcase in the upcoming regular season.
“His shiftiness, and then he understands obviously when the ball touches the paint, your threes, layups, offensive rebounds, like everything goes up for your team as an offense,” Scalzi said. “We talk about that a lot, and that’s one of the things we try to do. When we dominate the paint defensively as the Detroit Pistons on the defensive end, offensively it’s just the same deal. If we touch the paint, he’s going to make everyone better, and he’s recognizing that really early, and it’s something that’s made him the player that he is to this point.”
In terms of how Okorie was able to become more effective as the contest went on, Scalzi attributes that to the fact that he’s simply a gamer. Some players freeze up when the lights are a little bit brighter, but that outcome is not one that would be descriptive of Okorie’s playing style.
”Competitive juices I think,” Scalzi said. “These are long games. These are long games. We know what NBA games are, and we saw it in the Finals and other situations— 20-point swings, and we talked about that. So, I think it was just competitive juices. It was cool to see him make a bucket or two and get fired up.”
The Pistons have one more day off to rest up before taking the floor once again, this time for a Summer League matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers, who are 0-1 so far in the Las Vegas competition after suffering a 99-93 loss to the Indiana Pacers yesterday.
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