Kentavious Caldwell-Pope Impressing at NBA Summer League

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While many await the decisions of some of the top free agents, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope of the Detroit Pistons has been doing work in Orlando at the NBA Summer League. Caldwell-Pope is about to enter his second season in the league. Looking much improved from last year, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope could be poised for a breakout year.

Taken with the 8th pick of the 2013 NBA Draft, Caldwell-Pope was known as a great shooter. In his rookie season, he struggled. He only averaged 5.9 points, 2 rebounds, and .7 assists with a 39.6 field goal percentage in 19.8 minutes per game. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was awful. In case you were wondering, that would mean he’d average 10.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per 36 minutes. To make Caldwell-Pope look even worse, he had a PER of 9.4. You’re probably thinking that’s a typo, but it’s not. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had a PER of 9.4 in his rookie season. Overall, he was awful, but he was also a rookie. And he is only 21 years old.

A lot of times, people are quick to label someone a bust. They never give anyone time to develop. Nowadays, you either produce immediately or are labeled a bust if you’re a lottery pick. Sadly, that’s just how it is. It’s stupid, but it’s how people are. Many were quick to label Kentavious Caldwell-Pope a bust. They didn’t hesitate, nor did they give him time to develop.

However, Caldwell-Pope is showing everyone that he has improved and developed. Though many fans labeled him a bust, the Detroit Pistons did not. Instead, they allowed him to continue to develop his game, and that’s all that matters.

Now, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is looking like the best player in the Orlando NBA Summer League. Sure, it’s only the NBA Summer League and we shouldn’t take it too seriously, but he is playing against a lot of NBA competition and looks better than he did last year. Caldwell-Pope has showcased his terrific scoring ability, shooting, and potential. His mid-range has been great and he’s not forcing anything. He came into the league known best for his shooting ability, but is showing more than shooting now. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is showing his entire scoring ability, from his shooting to his driving. In his first three games of the 2014 Orlando NBA Summer League, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has averaged 27.3 points with a 44.1 field goal percentage, 7.7 rebounds, and 2.7 steals in 29.3 minutes per game. In comparison, Victor Oladipo, in his first two games, has averaged 14.5 points with a 43.5 field goal percentage, 6.5 rebounds, and .5 steals in 25 minutes per game.

There is no doubt that Caldwell-Pope will make the Pistons’ regular season roster. There are doubts about whether or not the Pistons can make the playoffs, even in the weaker Eastern Conference. A major problem for the Pistons last season was their poor spacing and frontcourt. Because Andre Drummond, Greg Monroe, and Josh Smith struggled shooting the three ball, they all clogged the paint, which allowed for no driving lanes and poor shooting. The Pistons’ offense struggled. However, Monroe is a restricted free agent. Will they re-sign him? If the Pistons do re-sign him, they will still have the same problems. If they let him go, the Pistons could move Smith to power forward and improve the floor spacing, but would lose a great young talent in Monroe. Plus, a duo of Drummond and Monroe would be better than a duo of Drummond and Smith. But, what else can they do? The Pistons have major decisions to make to improve their team. By hiring Stan Van Gundy as the head coach of the team and president, the Pistons improved. They also signed shooting guard Jodie Meeks, which will help their shooting, but they did overpay him. Regardless, Detroit Piston fans should just enjoy Caldwell-Pope’s excellent play for the moment.

All stats are via NBA.com, ESPN.go.com, and basketball-reference.com and are accurate as of 12:39 A.M. EST on June 9th, 2014.