Would the Detroit Pistons select Tyler Ulis at 18?

Tyler Ulis is a player the Detroit Pistons could have on their radar with backup point guard being one of the team’s bigger needs. But would Stan Van Gundy really be comfortable drafting such a small player.

The Detroit Pistons need a point guard behind Reggie Jackson. There are very solid point guards in the 2016 NBA draft. While drafting at 18 likely removes Detroit from the top point guard prospects, very solid can still be had.

That said, would Stan Van Gundy be comfortable drafting a point guard with Tyler Ulis’ size should he fall to the Pistons? Gary Parrish of CBS thinks so. I think it’s definitely a possibility, but it also depends on who’s on the board.

Gary Parrish via CBS:

"Tyler Ulis, PG, Kentucky: I’ve previously had Ulis going 14th to the Bulls. But the Noah news that makes me think Chicago will look to add frontcourt help pushed Ulis out of the lottery. He shouldn’t fall too far, however, because Detroit also needs point guard help. Yes, Ulis is small — which is why he might not work at 17 for Memphis. But I no longer struggle to see him becoming a starting point in the NBA because he’s so exceptional at lots of the things that tend to matter."

No doubt Ulis is talented. No doubt he can shoot and pass at a high level, but there is major concerns about whether or not he be effective at the NBA level.

Sure 5’9″ or 5’10” players–what Ulis is listed at depending on where you look– can make it in the NBA, but I can’t think of a single player that was as small as Ulis is in terms of weight (149 lbs) in the last 10 years that has had success.

Ulis measured extremely well athletically in the combine–38 inch vertical, 3.2 three quarter sprint, 2.88 shuttle run–and he’s played against players much bigger than him his whole life, but there are going to be a lot of point guards he faces against on a nightly basis that are close, if not more athletically gifted as him, who also have more size than he does.

I think Ulis has an extremely high basketball I.Q. I’d even wager that he is the most polished guard in the draft, but I don’t know that he will ever be able to take over games or defend at a good enough level to be passable.

For the Pistons, however, they just need someone who can come off the bench and be effective in spurts. I think Ulis can do that and even be productive in that type of role sooner than some of the other point guards in this draft, but I wouldn’t draft him over Wade Baldwin IV or Demetrius Jackson.

In Parish’s mock draft, Baldwin IV went a spot higher and Jackson went a spot lower. If Jackson and Ulis are both on the board, I think Van Gundy would draft Jackson. He may even look at other positions–in Parish’s mock Thon Maker and Malachi Richardson are still there and could be tempting.

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I was really hard on Ulis in previous articles, mostly because I wouldn’t want him as a starting point guard, and I would want the Pistons–or any team for that matter–to draft a player with starter potential at worst.

That said, sports and athletes can be unpredictable, that’s why there are so many busts during the draft. Ulis has a chip on his shoulder and he could prove me completely wrong.

If the Pistons draft him, I hope he proves me completely wrong.

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