Even though four teams are still competing to win the NBA championship, the top basketball competition in Europe wrapped up on Sunday. The FIBA EuroLeague Final Four was played over the weekend, and Olympiacos of Greece won their fourth ever championship by defeating Real Madrid in the final. For Detroit Pistons fans, the game brought together three former Pistons. Two of them ended up lifting the trophy.
Evan Fournier and Cory Joseph win EuroLeague despite Trey Lyles' impressive output
Evan Fournier and Cory Joseph played significant roles off the bench for Olympiacos and fueled the Greek side's comeback in the second half. Fournier had a team-high 20 points and added five rebounds and five assists in 27 minutes. Joseph put up five points, three rebounds, and five assists in 16 minutes, but had a huge three in the fourth quarter.
Fournier ended up winning the Final Four MVP award, demonstrating how much he has been able to turn his career around following his NBA exit.
The 33-year-old shooting guard's last NBA stint was with the Pistons. He was traded to Detroit at the 2024 deadline in the deal that sent Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks to New York. The French sharpshooter wasn't productive as a Piston, which led him to sign with Olympiacos the following summer.
Joseph, on the other hand, had a smaller role for the Greek team after signing with them in January. In his first stint outside the NBA, the 34-year-old point guard won a major trophy. Joseph's time with the Pistons was a forgettable one. He started a total of 52 games in Detroit, and his individual stats weren't bad, but he was unfortunately a part of the worst era of Pistons basketball.
The best player on the floor on Sunday, however, was the former Piston on the losing side. Trey Lyles stepped up in a big way for Real Madrid, leading them in scoring with 24 points in 31 minutes on 9/14 shooting while adding eight rebounds and three steals. Lyles had 21 points in the first half and was a big reason the Spanish side was leading for most of the game.
This game may go a long way in getting Lyles back in the NBA. The 30-year-old big man had an excellent campaign in his first year overseas. He led Real Madrid in scoring during the EuroLeague season and hit 45.9% of his threes. He will be a free agent this summer and could have suitors in the NBA.
Pistons fans remember Lyles well from his time in Detroit in the 2021-22 season. He was eventually traded to the Kings in exchange for Marvin Bagley. Lyles' shooting and offensive game could still be enough to land him a backup big role in the NBA. Whether any of these three players will get another opportunity in the NBA remains to be seen.
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