Summer League coach Jordan Brink on the Pistons’ win over the Wizards
The Pistons improved to 2-0 with a 105-99 win over Washington on Saturday night.
Rod Beard, The Detroit News
Las Vegas — The outcome of the game wasn’t as important as the status report on first-round pick Jaden Ivey. It’s always scary when a player lands awkwardly on a play. When he’s a top pick in the draft, he gets boosted.
Jaden Ivey, the No. 5 overall pick, suffered an ankle injury after attempting a 3-pointer in the first quarter of Saturday’s Summer League game against the Washington Wizards. He limped to the locker room and did not return to the game, although he returned to the bench in the second half.
Pistons Summer League coach Jordan Brink said there is no update on Ivey’s condition, but the level of concern does not appear to be high about the long-term outlook.
“I don’t think (we’re) too concerned, but I have to talk (to the medical staff) about it,” Brink said. “I haven’t spoken to them yet.”
The Pistons were on their way in the first half, but had to hold on in the fourth quarter for a 105-99 victory at the Thomas & Mack Center.
The injury bug is hitting the lineup hard as Ivey (right ankle) and Saben Lee (left ankle) did not return and Killian Hayes did not play.
The Pistons (2-0) had enough depth to weather the injuries, with Isaiah Livers leading the way with 20 points and five rebounds. Braxton Key added 14 points, seven rebounds and four assists, and Isaiah Stewart had 14 points and nine rebounds.
“I thought we moved the ball really well. We had 23 assists and that was a point of emphasis to get off the ball. I thought we dribbled her and hit her too much last game,” Brink said. “We did a really good job of playing with a point-five mentality, moving the ball and generating open looks.
“We made 14 threes and shot almost 50 percent from 3. I thought it was just the ball movement and just the mentality of good to great passes.”
After building a 27-point lead in the first half and looking to close out the game, the Wizards chipped away behind Jordan Shackles (24 points) and Jordan Goodwin (20 points and five rebounds).
The Wizards (0-1) pulled within 91-90 with 3:44 left on a pair of free throws by first-round pick Johnny Davis, but Stewart responded with a 3-pointer. Shackell hit a 3-pointer to cut the lead back to one, but Key scored on a backdoor, broke up a great pass by Jalen Duren (13 points, 6 rebounds) and Livers added a 3-pointer to cut the lead back to six with 1:50 left. .
Washington followed with a jumper by Goodwin and two free throws by Shackell to make it 99-97, but Stewart had the edge and Livers added two free throws to give the Pistons some breathing room.
However, concern for Ivy was at the fore.
“I was upset for him because he’s a competitor. If you saw him, he tried to stay inside. I was telling him, ‘Bro, get off the court and check it out,'” Livers said. “He’s a great player, a great kid and talented, but off the court he’s already a great teammate.
“He’s already giving the impression that he’s going to be one of the best teammates already, so I’m backing him 1,000 per cent and I hope his ankle is OK.”
During the play, Ivey landed on a defender’s leg and writhed on the court for several seconds. He got up and hit the secretary’s desk in frustration after the injury. After a few more seconds of limping, he was examined by the medical staff.
The defender was flagged for a flagrant foul, and Ivey stayed in the game and took all three penalty kicks before heading to the locker room for further examination.
Ivey had a solid first quarter with 11 points, including a 3-pointer, a three-point play and five free throws.
“I thought you could see him a little bit more comfortable early in the game, already from Game 1 to Game 2, just the tempo,” Brink said. “We wanted to give him a little more space to work and use his quickness. I thought you already saw the game slow down a little bit for him.”
Pistons rookie Jalen Duran on his first NBA Summer League experience
Jalen Duren had two impressive games, helping the Pistons to a 2-0 start.
Rod Beard, The Detroit News
Rod.Beard@detroitnews.com
Twitter.com: @detnewsRodBeard
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