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Detroit Pistons earn top marks for 2016 draft

By Justin Brouckaert

Jun 23, 2016; New York, NY, USA; NBA commissioner Adam Silver speaks at the conclusion of the first round of the 2016 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 23, 2016; New York, NY, USA; NBA commissioner Adam Silver speaks at the conclusion of the first round of the 2016 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Pistons selected Henry Ellenson out of Marquette at No. 18 and Michael Gbinije out of Syracuse at No. 49, garnering mostly praise from the national media.

Grading 19-year-old basketball players before they’ve even had a chance to suit up for their NBA teams is, without a doubt, a ridiculous exercise. But it’s a popular one, too, as fans flock to expert analysts for validation or an excuse to be outraged. Fortunately for Pistons fans, most of those analysts have been complimentary of Jeff Bower and Stan Van Gundy’s selections.

ESPN insider Chad Ford gave the Pistons an A-, calling Ellenson “one of the steals of the draft.”

USA Today’s AJ Neuharth-Keusch and Michael Singer gave the Pistons an A for their first-round pick and a B for their second-round pick:

"“Ellenson had lottery potential, so the Pistons nabbing him with the 18th pick could turn out to be a steal. He’s big and he’s skilled from the outside — an ideal fit for today’s NBA. A nice addition to a frontcourt with Andre Drummond, Marcus Morris and Tobias Harris.”“If you can look past Gbinije’s age (24) and focus on his athleticism and passing ability, he certainly has the talent to add some value on the wing for Detroit. It might not be right away, but his versatility is enough to give him a roster spot.”"

Over at SI.com, Jeremy Woo was a fan of the Ellenson selection, which he gave an A:

"“After the draft got topsy–turvy, the Pistons landed a terrific value pick. Able to score on the block, put it on the deck and hit an open jumper, Ellenson was No. 6 on my Big Board and is one of the most offensively skilled bigs in the class. The Pistons need shooters around Andre Drummond, and Ellenson—also a good rebounder—seems tailor-made for what Stan Van Gundy likes to do. This was a no-brainer choice.”"

Sam Vecenie at CBS Sports had similar thoughts:

"“I’m a fan of this Pistons draft. They took advantage of Ellenson dropping a bit due to his lack of quickness and picked up a potential backup 5 as well as a guy who can space the floor at the 4 position. We know how much Stan Van Gundy likes to space the floor around his centers, and Ellenson should be able to do that eventually. Nice value and nice pickup there. Then in the second round, they got another good player in Gbinije who might be able to help them out off the bench next season. Gbinije is a really good shooter, an instinctive defender, and a solid creator and passer. If he’s athletic enough, he’ll make an impact.The Pistons just took care of business in this draft. No steals, no reaches. Just solid values and fits.Grade: B+”"

Aaron Torres at Fox Sports also settled on B+ for Detroit’s final grade:

"“The Pistons had no real needs in this draft (their biggest priority is developing their young, exciting core), so more power to them for going out and getting two players who eventually could be contributors on their roster.Ellenson specifically could be a big get, as a versatile big man (with nice offensive game) off the bench. Considering he was projected as a late lottery pick, Detroit could have done a lot worse at No. 18.”"

Last but not least, MLive also awarded the Pistons a B+ grade.

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