Final Michigan Summer League Stats:
8 Likes
Chaundee has got that dawg in him
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Chaundee looks set for one of the Hawks two ways which is great for him
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5 blocks for X?
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Heās already on a two-way for next year I believe
He is on one, yes. He signed it towards the very end of last year though so I donāt think it was at all guaranteed for this year.
Poor X still couldnāt hit FTs. Expect
Shaudee stick in the league for years to come.
Christie and Houstan gonna battle eachother for who can be the better 35/25/75 shooter until their rookie contract runs out
3 Likes
Houstan compete level has to be much better. Good for him he got his contract but he didnāt look like a guy thatās ready for 10-15 mpg in the NBA.
1 Like
Livers is going to be a long term starter for the Pistons, mark my words.
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My reaction to limited data:
- I donāt know that Livers will ever be a starter, but I think heās going to hang around as a 3-and-D guy for a while to come. Heās almost the opposite of Houstan in that heās going to shoot 40% and play hard no matter whatā¦the upside is just limited.
- I donāt know a lot about how the NBA uses the end of its roster, but Chaundee feels like an ideal guy since he is also a 3-and-D hustle guy. His height and handle will prevent him from a meaningful role, but I bet he hangs around.
- While I am rooting for Houstan and hate to come across sounding negativeā¦this was an extension of his college career. He went 7-for-9 in his first game and we saw every post about how he was a steal and the spacing in the NBA was going to open things up for him. Then he went 2-of-19 in the next several games. I hope he figures it out.
8 Likes
A healthy Livers is a valuable pro and Iām delighted the Pistons have him in case that happens. Not sure about starter but could see him being the first wing off the bench.
4 Likes
I was thinking more about Houstan and the debate weāve had recently regarding the NBA wanting to lower the age limit and having no interest in draft-and-follow (despite its success in the NHL).
Here would have been my argument as a GM. Houstan was drafted and given a solid contract based on being 6-8 and the hope that he can become a consistent and elite shooter in the NBA. He has yet to show outside of high school that he can shoot that well or consistently. But guys like Livers, Cam Johnson, Luke Kennard, Duncan Robinson, Max Strus, etc. were among the league leaders in shooting and all spent multiple years in college. In fact, only three of the top-10 players in the league for shooting didnāt - Kyrie, Maxey, and Lonzo. Almost certainly Lonzo and Kyrie fall out of the top ten if they played more games.
So my question would be - for a wing shooter who doesnāt bring much else to the equation, do I want to gamble on someone or do I want to take someone with more of a body of work? The reason I always struggled with Houstan and his promise was just because I didnāt think that the market rate for even the ideal version of Houstan was worth that.
As I said earlier - I am rooting for Caleb and when heās on fire he is a fun player to watch. I want him to succeed and I think he has the talent to do so. But he HAS to hit threes at a high rate and I think he needs the Duncan treatment in the G-League to figure out if he can.
2 Likes
I was browsing theathletic.com at lunch and came across a Summer League wrap-up column I hadnāt read yet. I felt compelled to post this table here considering how many names have been relevant to Michigan fans over the past year or so.
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Thatās brutal for EJ Liddell. Dude just tore his ACLā¦gotta cut him some slack!
1 Like
Very possible , great fit roster wise
So, some tidbits Iāve picked up from the summer league recaps from Hollinger, Vecenie, Nate Duncan:
The best second year player (and probably best player period) there was Josh Giddey, which shouldnāt be surprising as he was the most productive NBA player that was there.
Of the rookies, the most impressive were Banchero, who did nothing to suggest he shouldnāt have been 1, and Keegan Murray who won MVP, and scored 20+ ppg on 60%+ true shooting. On Banchero they were all surprised at how well he defended (noted his effort level was markedly different than at Duke), and his passing skills were as advertised. They did generally have questions about his ability to beat centers 1 on 1 if he got a switch, as heās explosive vertically but not off the bounce.
Murray obviously shot better than is sustainable (over 50% from 3), but was just really good all around. Noted that while he may not be able to self create in the half-court that much, with his size and ball skills he could dribble into floaters, where he had a really good touch.
They also really liked Holmgren defensively, was better than expected, while offensively I think performed to āokā expectations. Broadly, I think they all felt Banchero, and Holmgren played to draft slot, Murray played above.
They liked Ivey in his limited time, and he exceeded their expectation, but I think they all thought he was a reach - so he probably played to draft slot expectation.
Jabari was obviously the obvious demerit, noting that their concerns about his ability to do anything other than shoot contested jumpers were not allayed. I guess Banchero shut him down.
They mostly liked Duren especially effort level, noting that the lineups they were playing, with 2-3 centers werenāt conducive to scoring, thought Agbaji showed the promise of a solid starting wing.
On Michigan guys, they buy Livers as a plus shooter, it seems, but question his ability to defend. They felt his status as āpossible starterā was more a function of the Pistons roster construction than him being a true NBA level starter right now.
Houstan, the biggest praise was his positional size, questioned his overall āpopā, and his ability to get up any threes at volume if he canāt be a movement shooter. As we all know, āreally, if the shots go in, heāll make it, if they donāt he wonātā. They did say he had a āgood looking jumperā.
Moussa - the most liked his offensive rebounding and energy. Itās funny how they had all pigeon holed him into āraw toolsy bigā, but didnāt bother to learn the tools - they were surprised at how heās not great vertically or shot blocking, but is quick and agile. They noted his ability to create for himself out of the post but ānot many NBA teams let their second round bigs do thatā.
Finally, X, and this is all Duncan, as heās the only guy who talked about him, mostly because Duncan has been enamored with him for three years (not because heās a great prospect but because summer league is a mess, so itās great to see smart players who know how to play). He was sitting next to a family with three boys in OKC jerseys, and the dad kept pointing out all their big time prospects - Giddey, Holmgren, Williams, etc - and the kids kept going āI donāt care, WHEN IS THE HOOK SHOT GUY COMING IN?!ā (Duncan was at least familiar enough to note that ādespite his size, Simpson has been hitting running hook shots for at least five years pretty consistentlyā).
16 Likes
I really like all those guys and think theyāre very good at what they do but Iām confused by this take on Livers. His defensive versatility positionally and talking on that end is the main reason why heās even in serious consideration to start for DET next year from what Iāve seen.
I think they arenāt sold on his feet to guard threes. They noted heās strong, so could handle bigger 4ās.
As I said - I think they feel his place among the Pistons hierarchy is more a function of the roster than his own quality. I think theyād agree he should start given who is there. Just that he wouldnāt be in the conversation (as a starter) on nearly any other team. They do see him as a quality rotational player.
Basically: heās a 4, not a 3, but heāll obviously need to be able to guard some threes. Less than ideal size even for a 3, much less a 4.
Since heās one of like 3 Pistons who can make a shot outside of 5 feet, heāll play.
4 Likes
Defensive rebounding would be my concern (if Livers is mostly at the four.)
1 Like