This past Thursday, NBA Summer League in Las Vegas kicked off, with four former Wisconsin Badgers occupying roster spots. Two of whom, Nick Boyd and Steven Crowl, were slated to play on the first day, only to leave fans disappointed as neither of the two saw the floor.
The decision to not play Crowl came as less of a surprise, considering he wasn't a very hyped-up prospect heading into the week. With that said, it still felt a bit disappointing to see him be one of just three players to not see the floor for the Detroit Pistons.
Steven Crowl (Wisconsin) has agreed to play NBA Summer League with the Detroit Pistons according to his agents Keith Kreiter & Sam Cipriano at Edge Sports.
— Dushawn London (@DushawnLondon1) July 8, 2026
The skilled 7-footer started 22 G-League games last season for the Utah Jazz. pic.twitter.com/tDu3i0ImVe
Even more concerning is there likely isn't a clear path for him to find many minutes going forward either. The Pistons aren't exactly loaded with high-end talent that will warrant being shut down early, meaning the lineup they rolled out in Game 1 likely won't fluctuate much moving forward.
Crowl will likely get a shot at the court at some point over the next week, as Detroit did choose to roster him for this event specifically. However, the minutes Crowl does get will likely be scarce and short-leashed, meaning he won't have much opportunity to prove himself beyond a few limited minutes.
Optimism for Boyd
As for Boyd, his outlook does look a hair more promising, although it's still grim. Unlike Crowl, who was one of the few to not play, Boyd was one of seven Golden State Warriors players to not see the floor. Although this could create the impression that he has a lot of competition in regard to earning minutes, it also hints at the Warriors wanting to run out a lot of different looks over the course of the week.
Nick Boyd said AND ONEEEE 🗣️
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) July 5, 2026
📺 @NBATV pic.twitter.com/RrkeC6OKrq
Along with that, guys like Will Richard, LJ Cryer, Yaxel Lendeborg and more have already proven themselves to be above this level of competition, meaning they likely won't play all four games. In the games said players miss, a window opens up for a guy like Boyd to swoop in and steal the show, proving his talent on the larger stage.
It's also worth noting that he was one of the very few players called up from the Warriors' Blue team in the California Classic, meaning this is one of his first few days with this specific group of players. As Boyd continues to build confidence and cohesion with this group, the minutes should only continue to follow suit, giving him a chance to prove he's an NBA-level guy.
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