The Detroit Pistons enjoy optionality with their backcourt rotation, and Ebuka Okorie is a talented scorer with passing skill that brings considerable optionality to last year’s 60-win squad
Last night, the Detroit Pistons officially opened up their Summer League slate with a tough eight-point loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, 101-93. But in that contest, the Pistons had their first look at first-round pick Ebuka Okorie in live action since the NBA Draft, and the Stanford guard looked like he fit in immediately with the pace of play for pro basketball.
Registering 20 points, one rebound and four assists during his 30 minutes on the court, Okorie showed that he is exactly as advertised— a self-creating wizard who can find a shot for himself in a hurry. Okorie ran the show while on the floor and distributed the ball effectively in doing so, but he was efficient as a scorer as well with an 8-for-16 mark from the field, which included two splashes from three-point range.
After the game, Okorie shared his thoughts on how his Detroit Pistons debut went and touched on what he is going to focus on moving forward.
“Just getting used to the rhythm of the game,” Okorie said. “I haven’t really played 5-on-5 basketball since my college season ended, so just getting used to playing games really and just getting more comfortable getting up and down.”
Last season, Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff opened up the regular season by using a plethora of ball handlers in addition to All-NBA point guard Cade Cunningham, presumably to give the squad more optionality when their star floor general needed to take a breather on the bench. Caris LeVert chipped in as a player who could initiate offense for Detroit, but he is no longer at the Pistons’ disposal after the squad shipped him off to the Milwaukee Bucks. Marcus Sasser also received playing time at point guard when healthy, but a right hip impingement limited his playing time, and he’s also going to begin the 2026-27 campaign with a different team after his trade to the Dallas Mavericks. Finally, Daniss Jenkins emerged mid-year as a player who could handle the responsibility of spelling Cunningham at various times throughout the year, and he is expected to fill a similar role moving forward.
However, Okorie looked so comfortable when looking for his own shot last night that it begs the question of whether the Pistons will utilize him on the floor with Cunningham simultaneously during his rookie campaign. After experiencing immense struggles in the postseason in terms of players who can take control of the game and hit shots from isolation matchups, Okorie has the skill set to do just that.
At Stanford, Okorie was relied upon as the team’s primary source of offense in the ACC, and he rose to the occasion with flying colors by averaging over 23 points each night as a Cardinal. Though he’s a bit small to start at the two from a traditional sense at 6-2, Okorie has a 6-7 wingspan that will allow him to use that length to cause problems for opposing NBA guards. Besides that point, Cunningham is listed at 6-7, so the Pistons would not necessarily be giving up much size in the backcourt if they were to play those two guards simultaneously.
Of course, Okorie’s performance through the rest of the Summer League, training camp and pre-season will ultimately dictate the answer to this question, but it would not be a shock to see Bickerstaff utilize both players at the same time. Jenkins played quite a bit with Cunningham during the playoffs, so there is a very recent precedent for Detroit going with a slightly smaller lineup at times. Plus, Okorie has the quality needed to initiate offense on his own in the half-court, so playing both at once would give Detroit increased flexibility on the perimeter and could pay dividends for the Pistons moving forward with a host of talented guards to choose from on a nightly basis.
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