Former Badger Steven Crowl may want to forget the game he just had against the Phoenix Suns in the NBA Summer League. He's working hard to prove to the NBA that he deserves a roster spot either on an NBA contract or a G-League team. It was already an uphill battle but it may have just got a little harder as he put together 11 minutes worth of action that was all but impressive.
Crowl scored zero points on 0-2 shooting with three turnovers and three fouls. He was able to pull down two rebounds (both offensive), but it was otherwise pretty lackluster and frustrating for the big man. He just couldn't quite get anything going, and his three turnovers were annoying at best, detrimental at worst.
If there's a silver lining, it's the fact that no one on the Detroit Pistons Summer League team played well. It was an all-out team effort of sucking. Detroit lost 100-88, and every single player except for two was negative in the +/-. Crowl was one of those two players in the positive, but only by a single point. He had a 1 +/-.
Former Badger Steven Crowl is running out of time to impress the NBA after stinker game
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Crowl had been playing well, considering he was signed just for the Summer League. He started the summer without any minutes in that first game, but in the second game, he saw a bit more and proved he was worth playing. In his third game, he really excelled in his role and showcased a decent skillset that could have the Pistons thinking about stashing him in the G-League.
However, it's hard to see them being overly convinced now after getting zero points and having three turnovers in a 12-point loss. Crowl was already in a major uphill battle to find a roster spot; he would have had to do a ton to prove to the Pistons or even the rest of the NBA that he belongs. Yet, now that he's had this stinker of a game, it becomes a bit harder.
Crowl only has a contract for the Summer League. As soon as the summer ends, which is only a few more games, he will need to sign another contract. The goal for Crowl was obviously to make an NBA roster, but even more realistically to find a place on a G-League roster, like last season.
It was the Utah Jazz that gave him the G-League chance last year with the Salt Lake City Stars; however, after the season was over, they didn't invite him back or sign him to a new contract. He simply didn't do enough to show that someday he would be in the NBA. That's what teams are watching for in the G-League: it's not simply fielding a team; it's NBA potential. This is what Crowl is being evaluated for both now and from last season.
It was a major win for him to get another NBA Summer League opportunity, but it looks like that may be the end, unless the last couple of games really WOW either the Pistons or the rest of the league.
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