Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was a man amongst boys in the 2014 Orlando Summer League. The 8th pick in the 2013 draft out of Georgia averaged 24 points and 7.4 rebounds for the Detroit Pistons summer team and had an outstanding player impact estimate (PIE) of +19.40.

While a second year lottery pick is expected to dominate inexperienced youngsters trying to grasp an NBA job, Caldwell-Pope's dazzling performance gives Stan Van Gundy and staff plenty to be excited about. Caldwell-Pope closed out his rocky rookie season with a 30-point outburst vs. Oklahoma City, so he had loads of confidence carrying into the off-season.

He has used that confidence as motivation to get better this off-season. He worked hard to improve his ball handling and become more consistent, and it showed immediately on the court. With a new regime taking over the team in the Motor City, it clear that was clear Caldwell-Pope had to perform well in the Summer League. The team had also just signed Jodie Meeks, who also plays shooting guard, so all the pressure was on Caldwell-Pope to perform. He did just that.

The humble 21-year old from a small town in Georgia scored 26 points in the Pistons' Summer League opener in Orlando, leading them to a 95-89 win. His innate ability to score and defend wowed the few people crammed in a small practice gym. He scored 30 points the next game, showing his first game was a fluke. To top it all off, he would score 26 points the next game and made a game winning shot to give the Pistons a 80-78 win. He scored 26 points the next, showing how consistent he can be. Nine practices and 6 games in just 11 days then caught up to him, as he scored just 12 points in the Pistons' Summer League finale.

"We were still able to find KCP in some really, really good situations, situations where he's comfortable scoring the ball," Bob Beyer, Pistons assistant coach and summer head coach told David Mayo of MLive.com.

Caldwell-Pope showed a full bag of tools on both sides of the floor. He drove to the lane with ease, drilled mid-range jumpers and floaters, nailed three-pointers left and right, lived in the passing lanes to rack up 6 steals, and locked down his opponent while on defense. He was a poor ball handler during his rookie season, and didn't seem comfortable with the ball in his hands.

It was the exact opposite during the Summer League. Caldwell-Pope wanted the ball in his hands, and was very comfortable with it. His improved ball handling helped him to get to the rim with ease. Caldwell-Pope was highly aggressive and seemed to have that “killer instinct” that he lacked as a rookie. He was the best player on the court, and it was easy to tell.

Defensively, Caldwell-Pope was very solid as usual. He jumped passing lanes, averaging 1.8 steals. Caldwell-Pope played with high energy, intensity, aggressiveness, and focus.

"He’s got a chance . . . to be an elite NBA defender," Stan Van Gundy told the Detroit Costless Press.

Caldwell-Pope hopes to carry his strong NBA Summer League performance into training camp in September, as he will be battling newly-acquired Jodie Meeks for the starting shooting guard role. Whether he is starting or coming off the bench, expect Caldwell-Pope to have a solid sophomore season for the Pistons.