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ORLANDO – When the Pistons drafted Michael Gbinije, it gave the Pistons one more perimeter player to lengthen the odds of Lorenzo Brown winning a roster spot. When they said they were going to give Gbinije a very long look at point guard during Summer League to gauge his ability to fill the No. 3 spot on their depth chart, it squeezed Brown that much harder.
But a guy who played on six 10-day contracts from January 2015 through the end of the 2015-16 season with two franchises besides the Pistons doesn’t shrink from challenges.
And Brown hasn’t, playing well enough in both Summer League games so far – both Pistons wins, the latest Monday’s 73-68 decision over Orlando Blue – to put himself firmly in the mix to win the 15th roster spot in 2016-17.
“Trying not to think about it, but I’ve been through the fire before,” Brown said of the pressure of playing for a job in Summer League. “My main objective is to get that third spot. I feel like if I keep that up, I’ll be fine.”
Brown led the Pistons with 19 points on a day they shot less than 30 percent (29.5) from the field and just 5.6 percent from the 3-point line while turning the ball over 21 times. But Brown had only two of those turnovers while playing a team-high 35 minutes. He led a defense that held Orlando to 32 percent shooting, recording six steals and blocking Nick Johnson’s tying 3-point try with about 10 seconds to play.
“I just couldn’t take him off the floor,” Pistons associate head coach Bob Beyer said. “I just felt more comfortable having Lorenzo out there and I thought he really, really played well and played hard for the time he was out there. He helped us tremendously, especially down the stretch making big defensive plays, too.”
The Pistons are basically locked into 14 roster spots. Brown signed a non-guaranteed deal for next season when the Pistons – after signing Brown to two 10-day contracts due to Spencer Dinwiddie’s lingering ankle injury in March – had to bring him back a third time last season as insurance against a late-season abdominal strain to Reggie Jackson.
That means Brown will come to camp so the Pistons can look more at him while also getting a better look at Gbinije, who’ll miss the rest of Summer League after suffering a sprained ankle in Sunday’s practice. Beyer said X-rays revealed a bone chip in the ankle, as well. Gbinije said he’ll probably be fine in a week or two, but his absence – on top of the back injury suffered by Darrun Hilliard that also will keep him out of Summer League – allows Brown a great chance to stake his claim to the job.
“He’s a hell of a player,” said Stanley Johnson, who struggled to shoot – 2 of 14 overall, 0 of 4 from the 3-point line, in an eight-point, 10-rebound performance – along with almost everybody but Brown, who hit 5 of 12 and knocked down 9 of 11 at the line. “You see what he’s doing. He can score from outside, inside, run the team. If you’re talking about fit on our team, I think he would be good.”
Beyer said it helped Brown to have about a month plus the playoff series with the Pistons to gain a comfort level with the system. Brown agreed. He also took to heart a conversation he had with Stan Van Gundy.
“He said he wanted me to show what my defensive side looked like,” Brown said. “I feel I’ve done a pretty good job of showing I can play D at each position. Hopefully, he likes it.”
Brown, at 6-foot-5, would also give the Pistons greater size at point guard and a player who could guard at least two and perhaps all three perimeter positions.
The Pistons play their third game of Summer League at 5 p.m. Tuesday against Las Vegas. Through two games, they’re tied for first place with Miami with 15 points in the standings. Teams earn four points for winning each game, one point for winning each quarter.