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Donovan Mitchell could be the perfect fit for the Pistons

By Luke Wolthuis

Jan 4, 2017; South Bend, IN, USA; Louisville Cardinals guard Donovan Mitchell (45) goes up for a shot as Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard T.J. Gibbs (2) and guard Rex Pflueger (0) defend in the first half at the Purcell Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 4, 2017; South Bend, IN, USA; Louisville Cardinals guard Donovan Mitchell (45) goes up for a shot as Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard T.J. Gibbs (2) and guard Rex Pflueger (0) defend in the first half at the Purcell Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports /
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As the Detroit Pistons get closer and closer to this year’s NBA Draft lets, look at potential draft prospect Donovan Mitchell from Louisville who could be their 12th pick in this years NBA Draft.

There’s a lot to like about the shooting guard from Louisville for the Detroit Pistons. Donovan Mitchell is a versatile player who can play both shooting guard and point guard respectively. He comes in at 6’3″ and has a wingspan of 6’10” which is very rare for a player of his size.

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The Pistons don’t have a player who has the playmaker ability. With the essence of Mitchell’s athleticism and physicality, he could be the right guy for the job. Also, the Pistons don’t have a combo guard who can play both point guard and shooting guard position.

Mitchell has some strengths that could help the Pistons across the board. First off, Mitchell is a tremendous playmaker. On the offensive side of the ball, Mitchell averaged 15.6 points and 2.7 assists per game. Although his number of assists is small, it shows how important Mitchell was for Louisville. He was their guy. The Pistons don’t have that type of player except for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope at times. With his outrageous wingspan and athleticism, he produced 2.5 steals and 0.5 blocks per game this past season at Louisville. Mitchell did it all for Louisville not to mention he only averaged 1.6 turnovers playing an average of 32.3 minutes a game.

On the other hand, Mitchell has some attributes he needs to work on if he wants to be a great NBA guard. Like Pistons’ shooting guard KCP, Mitchell is an inconsistent shooter. It was evident this past season that the Pistons struggled shooting the basketball especially from beyond the arch. Mitchell shot 35.4 percent from the three-point line. This stat obviously wouldn’t wow anyone but according to multiple scouts at the NBA combine it was evident that he was working hard to get better from beyond the arch.

If the Pistons happen to draft him at least they have a shot they can work on to get better. Using his extraordinary athleticism Mitchell averaged 4.9 rebounds per game for Louisville. If he can put up those numbers in the NBA  he could really become a solid overall player.

Mitchell has shined in the spotlight for Louisville having big performances against Duke and Indiana. Some analysts compare Mitchell to Celtics’ guard Marcus Smart or Suns guard Eric Bledsoe. If I had to compare Mitchell to any player in the NBA, it would be C.J. McCollum. Both these players are both robust and skilled combo guards. They are both very quick in the open floor, and both shoot off the dribble well. Also, both Mitchell and McCollum are undersized guards. McCollum may not have the wingspan(6’6″) that Mitchell has, but that’s rare in itself.

Next: Detroit Pistons season wrap: The starters

As announced this past Tuesday at the NBA Draft Lottery, the Pistons will be selecting 12th overall in this year’s draft. There are many needs and voids the Pistons have to fill if they want to be a consistent playoff team again. You may not be meeting all the needs with Mitchell, but at least with him, you know that he is only going to get better. Mitchell might not be the best player available when the 12th pick rings around, but you can’t pass up on a guy that has playmaker written all over him.

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