Detroit Pistons Draft Prospect: Caris LeVert

The guard position is a place of need for the Detroit Pistons, and perhaps the best fit at the 18th draft pick will be Michigan’s Caris LeVert.

The Pistons, fresh off a sweep at the hands of LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, have spent the past year getting both better and younger. We can count on that continuing this coming offseason, as the needs of the Pistons are now painfully clear.

More from PistonPowered

Steve Blake gave the Pistons everything he had at backup point guard, which wasn’t much, but for a guard who turned 36 in February, it was admirable and appreciated.

Kentavius Caldwell-Pope’s defense is outstanding, he has the ability to play massive minutes, but he’s never lived up to his pre-draft hype as a sharp-shooter.

The Pistons need to upgrade, and the guard position is the best place to start, both from a talent and a depth perspective.

The first player who comes to mind, and is being taken in the late teens in mock drafts, is Caris LeVert, shooting guard out of Michigan.

Caris LeVert didn’t play much, nor well, in his freshman season at Michigan. His sophomore campaign was alright, but nothing special. LeVert averaged 12.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.2 steals in 34 minutes per game. LeVert finished the season with shooting splits of .439/.408/.767.

Fast forward to his junior season, where LeVert begins to earn his “injury-prone” label, LeVert played in only 18 games. LeVert improved upon his scoring and playmaking, with averages of 14.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.7 ssists in 35.8 minutes per game.

It was a minor case of quantity over quality, as LeVert’s shooting splits fell to .421/.405/.810 on 12.3 shots per game, 2.3 more than the year prior. He’d played well, but ultimately, he was not able to play often.

LeVert’s senior season was more of the same, both the good and the bad. With continued improvement, particularly his shooting and playmaking, before suffering his third broken foot in as many years shut him down again, LeVert would play just 15 games.

His averages of 16.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.9 assists and a steal in 30.9 minutes per game were all outstanding before his season was cut short. LeVert’s shooting splits of .506/.446/.794 were a delight. LeVert had an eye-popping offensive rating of 129.2 to go with a defensive rating of 102 per 100 possessions.

He can shoot, he can pass and he can defend, all of which were Piston weaknesses this season. LeVert, at 6’7, 205 is capable of playing either guard position or small forward, allowing the Pistons to have at least one playmaker on the floor at all times, while providing shooting that’s been sorely missed.

Next: Jeff Bower's hand in building the Detroit Pistons

Collectively, the outside shooting of this Pistons team has room to improve.

Maybe Caris LeVert can fix that.

* All statistics courtesy of http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/

Home/Pistons News