Revisiting the Detroit Pistons’ 2013 NBA draft decision
Detroit Pistons fans will forever compare Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, whom the Pistons drafted in 2013, to Trey Burke, hometown hero from the University of Michigan. With nearly three years of sample, did the Detroit Pistons get it right?
When it came time for the Detroit Pistons to make their selection in the 2013 NBA Draft, many fans wanted the Pistons to draft Trey Burke.
But they didn’t.
Instead, the Pistons selected Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, which created quite the debate amongst fans—a debate that would inevitably connect both players to one another, until one surpasses the other.
Burke would end up being drafted with the very next pick by the Utah Jazz.
By the end of their rookie seasons, Burke’s play led to a slight edge over Caldwell-Pope, but it was too early to determine that Burke was the player the Pistons should have drafted.
In his second season, Caldwell-Pope took a big leap forward, garnering a larger role on the team and making a big jump in scoring from 5.9 to 12.7 points per game. Caldwell-Pope also began earning himself the reputation of a strong defender.
Meanwhile, Burke held steady averaging 12.8 points for the second consecutive year, while averaging slightly less assists and slightly less rebounds.
While Caldwell-Pope “broke out,” the debate remained too close to call one way or the other.
This season, Caldwell-Pope has averaged 14.8 points (shooting 42.2% from the floor and 30.5% from three), 3.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.5 steals in 36.7 minutes per game. Numbers aside, Caldwell-Pope has also become one of the premier defenders in the NBA.
In comparison, Trey Burke has averaged 10.7 points (shooting 41.5% from the field and 34.4% from three), 1.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists in 21.5 minutes per game, as his minutes and role on the Jazz has been reduced.
Sure the per 36 numbers look better for Burke in terms of scoring, but it’s hard to ignore the fact that his role on his team has regressed, and that he hasn’t improved much since entering the NBA.
Meanwhile in Detroit, Caldwell-Pope’s production and role has only increased.
Some fans could point to situation as reason as to why Burke has taken a step back with the Jazz. The problem with that argument is that Burke’s career has never taken a step forward. His role and production has only diminished.
Furthermore, it’s not like Burke is taking a back seat the promising young talent of Dante Exum like he did last season—Exum hasn’t played a game this year due to a torn ACL.
Instead, Burke finds himself sharing minutes with Raul Neto on a team that is currently one game under .500
When looking at Caldwell-Pope’s numbers, they are even more impressive when compared to his 2013 draft class peers.
"Of the members of that draft class, Caldwell-Pope has played the most games (231), and of the seven players picked ahead of him, he ranks second in total points (2,531), behind only Orlando Magic guard Victor Oladipo (3,457), who was the No. 2 selection."
With both players drawing near the end of their third season, there isn’t much of a debate–drafting Caldwell-Pope was the right decision.
In fact, the better debate might be whether or not Caldwell-Pope should have been drafted in the top three or five picks in the 2013 NBA draft.
With players like Victor Oladipo, C.J. McCollum, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Rudy Gobert also being drafted in 2013, the debate could really heat up in the ensuing years–though Antetokounmpo has really begun to distance himself as the top player in the 2013 draft class so far.