Detroit Pistons: 5 takeaways from 2018 NBA Summer League

5. Henry Ellenson is still struggling

Henry Ellenson was the team’s first round pick two seasons ago. He was supposed to be their stretch-4 of the future. Ellenson has been a lot of 4 but not a whole lot of stretch. That stayed true in his third Summer League with the Pistons. Through six games, he shot a miserable 29.9 percent from the field. This includes shooting 7-of-42 from 3-point range. With Jon Leuer back after dealing with an injury last season, Ellenson will be buried on the bench again.

Second-year players Malik Monk and John Collins showed out in Summer League, while Ellenson continued to look overwhelmed. The majority of power forwards and centers are normally ultra-efficient, yet Ellenson is the complete opposite. In even his best games in Last Vegas, he was extremely inefficient. When he scored 15 points against the Memphis Grizzlies, he did it on 5-of-21 shooting. The team has several inefficient scorers, but Ellenson can’t be one.

The team let Eric Moreland go, which will free up frontcourt minutes for Ellenson. However, if he plays at this level in the regular season, Casey and the coaching staff has no reason to play him more. This may be Ellenson’s last shot. While the team may pick up his option for 2019-20, there is no guarantee, especially with such poor production.