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Grading the Pistons 2015 Draft Class: Darrun Hilliard

By Justin Brouckaert

Feb 10, 2016; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons forward Darrun Hilliard (6) is defended by Denver Nuggets guard Randy Foye (4) during the third quarter at The Palace of Auburn Hills. The Nuggets won 103-92. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 10, 2016; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons forward Darrun Hilliard (6) is defended by Denver Nuggets guard Randy Foye (4) during the third quarter at The Palace of Auburn Hills. The Nuggets won 103-92. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports /
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Detroit’s 2015 second-round pick from Villanova didn’t play much last season. What can Pistons fans expect from Darrun Hilliard moving forward?

I’m an NBA junkie, but I don’t pay much attention to the NCAA–at least not until mid-March. So when Darrun HIlliard first took the court in 2015-16, my question was, what exactly does this guy do project to do well at the professional level? The summer after his rookie year, I’m still not positive I know the answer to that question.

Hilliard averaged 10.1 minutes in 38 games for the Pistons. He started at shooting guard in two of those games: a win against Orlando when both Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Reggie Bullock were injured and the final game of the season against Cleveland, when both teams sat their starters. Hilliard averaged 4 points per game, shooting 38.7 percent from the field and 38 percent from three-point range, per Basketball-reference.com. It’s a small sample size, to be sure. Perhaps more telling are the numbers from Hilliard’s March 23 start against Orlando: 11 points, six rebounds, three assists and a steal. Hilliard also held Magic guard Victor Oladipo to 14 points on 5-of-18 shooting.

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Hillard was billed as a scorer, and he showed that in his three D-League outings, averaging 25.7 points per game and shooting 49 percent from the field. Of course, he looked considerably less explosive in his NBA appearances, though it’s difficult to apply the eye test to garbage time. I heard, at several points through the season, Pistons fans calling for more playing time for Hilliard when guys like Stanley Johnson and Reggie Bullock were hurting, and I never quite agreed. Johnson looked raw throughout his rookie season, but still made valuable contributions. Hilliard, albeit in a considerably smaller sample size, often didn’t look ready to play.

Word from the Pistons camp is that Hilliard is an incredibly hard worker, and his teammates and coaches have praised him for his poise. But when we talk about the Pistons needing more shooting at the 2-guard spot, we really only talk about Jodie Meeks returning to form and potential free agent/draft acquisitions. Do the Pistons believe in Hilliard enough to significantly increase his minutes in 2016-17? And how much improvement can we reasonably expect from the 23-year-old?

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My guess is that the bar will stay pretty low for Hilliard. The best-case scenario for Stan Van Gundy might be if Hilliard works his ass off and becomes a semi-valuable role player for Detroit. And that makes sense: there are occasional gems to be found in the second round, but for every Khris Middleton, there’s a Kim English or Vernon Macklin, too.

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