Despite dominating for the Detroit Pistons’ G-League affiliate, the Motor City Cruise, Jaden Akins was snubbed from their Summer League roster ahead of the first game next week.
Akins averaged 14.7 points and 4.8 assists while shooting just under 36 percent from three en route to a G-League All-Star appearance. He was one of the breakout performers on the Cruise and he impressed throughout the year.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough for the Pistons to prioritize him this offseason as they let him look for a new opportunity and he’s now joining up with the NBA champs.
According to reports, Akins will no longer be representing the hometown Pistons and instead will be playing for the New York Knicks’ Summer League team in search of another two-way contract.
The Pistons’ Summer League roster seems to be prioritizing the immediate growth of first-round pick Ebuka Okorie who plays point guard just like Akins did in the G-League this past season. If Akins was on the Summer League roster, he probably wouldn’t get a ton of playing time behind Okorie and the Knicks’ Summer League roster is filled with unheard of guys. That’s a perfect chance for Akins to stand out.
Jaden Akins is no stranger to adversity
Akins’ career at Michigan State wasn’t exactly a walk in the park. The four-year Spartan was rumored to be a transfer candidate at one point, but he stuck it out even though he wasn’t playing the position (point guard) that he wanted.
Instead, Akins assumed the two-guard role thanks to AJ Hoggard and Jeremy Fears Jr. He had to prove himself as a reliable ball-handler and he was able to do that despite not getting the point guard minutes in which he was seeking.
It would have been easier to just transfer and play a playmaking point guard elsewhere but he stuck it out and he had no regrets. He was tough as nails and he carried that over into the G-League after going undrafted.
There, he had to start all over and that fresh start was actually good for him. He turned the adversity into a positive and embraced a new role and dominated.
Now he must start over with a new organization and he has to do enough in the Summer League with the Knicks to prove he’s worthy of a two-way deal with the defending champs.
I think we’ve all learned by now that we shouldn’t doubt Akins.
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