Pistons Summer League observations: Matt Costello puts deep ball on display

Here are some observations from the Pistons' 96-81 Summer League win over the 76ers on Wednesday from Rod Beard of The Detroit News.

►Bruce Brown is showing that he’s a little too advanced to be playing with some of the younger players in Summer League. He was already having a superb preliminary round, but topped it off with only the second triple-double in the Las Vegas Summer League.

Again, it’s not regular NBA talent but Brown's affinity for handling the ball and creating easy shots for his teammates should be noted. At this pace, he could be the MVP of the Summer League, especially if the Pistons win two more games and get to the championship.

►Matt Costello (Michigan State) already was opening eyes with his solid play in the post, but he’s added a 3-pointer that likely made some scouts evaluate him differently. He made two straight in the first quarter and went 3-for-7 in the game en route to 18 points, after scoring 20 points in Monday’s game.

Costello is on a path toward at least earning an invitation to a team’s training camp and possibly a two-way deal or even a minimum contract. He’s been that solid.

►Jordan Bone looked like he needed to knock off some rust in his Summer League debut on Monday, but he looked much better on Wednesday with 13 points on 4-for-10 shooting, including 2-for-3 on 3-pointers. He got a longer look at point guard, as Brown got a rest. As one of the two-way contracts, Bone will get a solid opportunity and showed some of athletic qualities that intrigued the Pistons before the draft.

►Big man Donta Hall filled the stat sheet, with eight points, five rebounds, three assists, three blocks and two steals. Like Costello, he’s been impressive with his energy on the defensive end, but also with his ability to get to the free-throw line, going 6-for-8 on Wednesday. His game still is raw and he has some footwork and mechanical issues to deal with, but his defensive game is something to watch.

►As they look forward to the next round, the Pistons have a squad that could contend to win the whole tournament. They have a relatively experienced backcourt and with the solid contributions of Costello and Hall — along with Jarrod Uthoff (13 points) — they have a solid nucleus in comparison to many other teams that are resting their first-round picks and not as solidly constructed. Sekou Doumbouya (hamstring) was dressed to play but was held out again.

Rod.Beard@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @detnewsRodBeard