Which draft prospects will be available for the Detroit Pistons at No. 12?
By David Topham
Which NBA Draft prospects will be off the board once the Detroit Pistons are on the clock for pick No. 12?
NBA Draft speculation is a fool’s errand. Speculation almost a month in advance of the event is an even bigger one. Guesswork it may be, but it’s still a whole lot of fun.
The Detroit Pistons hold the No. 12 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. And that’s their only pick of the June 22 draft. Their second round pick was shipped to Utah in the 2015 trade-deadline deal that brought Reggie Jackson over from Oklahoma City.
So who will and won’t be on the board come pick 12? Let’s take a closer look.
First, here’s the draft order if you need a refresher:
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- Boston Celtics
- Los Angeles Lakers
- Philadelphia 76ers
- Phoenix Suns
- Sacramento Kings
- Orlando Magic
- Minnesota Timberwolves
- New York Knicks
- Dallas Mavericks
- Sacramento Kings
- Charlotte Hornets
- Detroit Pistons
- Denver Nuggets
- Miami Heat
Now, in reality, we have no idea what’s going to transpire, but, among NBA draft pundits at least, there is a consensus top 11. I looked at six mock drafts, the latest from: DraftExpress; NBADraft.net; Sports Illustrated’s Andrew Sharp; CBS Sports’ Gary Parrish; the Detroit Free Press’ Vince Ellis; and the Detroit News’ Rod Beard.
Here is how they expect the top 11 picks to play out, with the number listed next to the player being their average draft spot between the six mocks.
- 1. Markelle Fultz = 1
- 2. Lonzo Ball = 2
- 3. Josh Jackson = 3.16
- 4. Jayson Tatum = 4.83
- 4. De’Aaron Fox = 4.83
- 6. Malik Monk = 6.5
- 6. Jonathan Isaac = 6.5
- 8. Dennis Smith = 7.83
- 9. Lauri Markkanen = 9.83
- 10. Frank Ntilikina = 10.16
- 11. Zach Collins = 10.5
So, that’s the scouting consensus as it stands, but keep in mind things never seem to play out how everybody thinks it will. Teams find the players they like and take their chances. Just last year, nobody expected Boston to take Jaylen Brown at No. 3 or Milwaukee to swing for the fences with Thon Maker at No. 10, for example.
If things do go chalky, however, there’s not much of a consensus about what happens next. It leaves the Pistons with a large pool of prospects to choose from. Here are some of the leading candidates:
- Jarrett Allen, C, Texas
- O.G. Anunoby, SF/PF, Indiana
- Donovan Mitchell, SG, Louisville
- Luke Kennard, PG/SG, Duke
- Terrance Ferguson, SG/SF, an American 19 year old who played professionally in Australia last season
- Justin Jackson, SF, UNC
- John Collins, PF, Wake Forest
- Ike Anigbogu, C, UCLA
- T.J. Leaf, PF, UCLA
- Bam Adebayo, C, Kentucky
- Harry Giles, PF/C, Duke
- Justin Patton, C, Creighton
Another thing about Detroit that leaves things wide open: they don’t having a glaring position of need. GM Jeff Bower recently told the media the team will take the best player available, as you’d expect him to say.
The thing is, we can’t be quite sure who that is.
Expect all (or most) of the guys listed to be in for workouts with the team in the coming weeks. Anigbogu was already in last week, although he didn’t actually workout due to a minor injury.
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Who would you prefer from this pool of players? And which of the consensus top 11 prospects would you like to see fall to pick 12? Stay tuned for plenty of more draft coverage and prospect breakdowns in the coming weeks here on the site.