Photo: Zariq Turner/Real BullyBall The Motor City Cruise will open the season against the in-state rival Grand Rapids Gold as part of the NBA G League Showcase Cup tonight in Grand Rapids. The Cruise roster has undergone a significant amount of change since last year, with key players such as Keifer Sykes, Trayvon Palmer, and ShawnDre Jones no longer with the team. However, Motor City is returning a number of key players, including Buddy Boeheim, Jared Rhoden, and Stanley Umude, all of whom joined the Cruise last year. Our 2023-23 opening night roster is set… let's get to work#HustleAndDrive pic.twitter.com/74bhgVzuV4 — Motor City Cruise (@MotorCityCruise) November 9, 2023 DJ Bakker, the first head coach in Cruise history departed from the organization this summer to join new Milwaukee Bucks head coach Adrian Griffin’s staff. The Cruise replaced Bakker, with Jamelle McMillan, a prodigy of Pistons’ head coach Monty Williams. “He’s so well spoken, I feel like he’s a politician when I hear him talk sometimes. He just has a way with words and he a way with connecting with people,” said Cruise general manager Ben Carolini of McMillan at the Cruise Media Day last Friday. “He’s obviously very sharp with Xs and Os. He grew up around the game at the highest level with his dad (former NBA head coach Nate McMillan). He’s so good at getting out the best with both players and staff.” McMillan comes to Detroit with a lengthy coaching resumė, most recently spending time with the Atlanta Hawks. He began his career on Williams’ staff with the New Orleans Pelicans in 2012. He joined the organization in June and was an assistant on Jarrett Jack’s staff for the Las Vegas Summer League this past offseason. After a 17-15 finish last season, 9th in the Eastern Conference, the Cruise are hoping to build off a strong finish to last year and convert that into early success this season. “I’ve watched every game multiple times from last year in my prep work and there’s a lot of good things,” said McMillan. The Cruise retained its entire assistant coaching staff from last season, and McMillan has leaned into his staff a lot over the offseason to learn about the returning players and philosophies from last season. But only a few players are returning from last year. As is the status quo in the G League, there has been plenty of player movement throughout the offseason, and the Cruise experienced this firsthand. The top performers earn promotions to the NBA. Others get lucrative contracts overseas. But the Cruise made a major splash in the offseason when Carloni orchestrated a trade to bring former Michigan Wolverine Zavier Simpson to Motor City. Simpson averaged 18.2 points and 8.4 assists with the Lakeland Magic last season. Entering his third year in the G League, he’s relishing the opportunity to play in the state in which so much of his basketball career’s success lives within. “It’s very nice (to be playing basketball in Michigan again). It’s a blessing,” said Simpson. “It’s kinda like home.” Simpson figures to play a major role in what the Cruise do this season. His ability to orchestrate an offense and score in bunches projects the Michigan product for a big season with Motor City. With two-way players Stanley Umude and Jared Rhoden playing in numerous of Detroit’s recent games, the Cruise may be shorthanded without some of the team’s top talent to begin the season. The Pistons are battling a number of injuries to key players, and Umude has stepped into a bench role with Detroit over the past week. Stanley Umude is hooping right now… 15 PTS / 5-7 FG / 4-5 3PM off the bench with just under nine minutes left in Q4#DetroitBasketball pic.twitter.com/Eh0mv1PTPh — Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) November 7, 2023 This makes the challenge of starting a new season much more difficult for McMillan, but as the likes of Jaden Ivey and Alec Burks near return, reinforcements may not be too far away for Motor City. In the early going, along with Simpson, it’s easy to imagine returning players like Buddy Boeheim playing a significant role. David Nwaba, a six-year NBA veteran, and Jontay Porter, the younger brother of Denver Nuggets forward, Michael Porter Jr, also figure to be a part of McMillan’s plans. After falling short of the playoffs last season, the Cruise have sights set on a bounceback year. With a new coach, a number of new players, and a Detroit-minded mindset, the organization is confident they’ll get back on track this year.
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