After Stanley Johnson carried the Detroit Pistons‘ summer league squad to a championship game, leading the team in scoring without ever driving to his strong side, fans got excited. After he excelled on the USA Selects team with fellow Piston Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, the hype grew.
When he helped lead Baron Davis‘ Drew League team to a title and then sunk an OVO League championship-winning shot in Drake’s face, we all thought a modern-day Detroit Piston legend was before us.
It was a heady summer for Stanley Johnson and the diehard fans who followed him closely through it all.