Should the Pistons look to acquire a second round draft pick?
By Joe Imburgia
The Detroit Pistons are without their second round pick this year due to the Reggie Jackson three-team trade from 2013. The Utah Jazz have their second round pick which is number 42 overall. So should the Pistons try to acquire a second round pick?
The Detroit Pistons will most likely have two roster spots open this summer with Beno Udrih and Reggie Bullock’s contracts expiring. They could have up to four roster spots once the decisions are made on two players. Darrun Hilliard has a $1.4 million team option for next year that the Pistons have to make a decision on.
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Additionally, Aron Baynes still hasn’t decided whether he will accept his $6.5 million player option for next season. The fact that he hasn’t declined it yet to become a free agent given that he will make more on the open market is very interesting. I would be surprised if he opted in to that option for next season.
Furthermore, the Pistons have their first round pick that will take up one of those roster spots. Acquiring a second round pick would fill that second roster spot with a young player on a cheap contract would be a good use of that roster spot.
There are many teams with multiple second round picks that the Pistons could trade for or even buy from other teams. I would assume the pick will probably be towards the middle part of the second round because those are cheaper to acquire than a high end second round pick.
It seems the Pistons could have some interest in making this happen.
#Pistons GM Jeff Bower likes depth of draft. PHI has 4 2nd-round picks. ORL has picks 33/35. Wouldn't surprise to see Pistons deal for 2nd.
— Keith Langlois (@Keith_Langlois) June 19, 2017
Here are some potential second round guys that are intriguing prospects who should be available in the middle part of the second round:
-Projected #43 on DraftExpress.
-NBA role= 3 and D player
Skills
-Strong build at 6’6”, 225 pounds with a 6’10” wingspan.
-22.4 years old from SMU.
-Very good spot up three point shooter at 44.9 percent.
-Solid athlete with good strength.
-Good defender who could guard 2’s or 3’s.
-Projected #40 on DraftExpress.
-NBA role= 3 and D player.
Skills
-Slight build at 6’7”, 193 pounds but a great 7’1” wingspan.
-22.5 years old from Kansas State.
-Decent three point shooter at 37.6 percent.
-Playmaking/slashing ability off the dribble.
-Good athleticism and has good defensive tools.
-Projected #53 on DraftExpress.
-NBA role= 3 and D player.
Skills
– Solid build at 6’6”, 206 pounds with a great 7’0” wingspan.
-22.0 years old from Miami (FL).
-Good three point shooter at 39.7 percent.
-Good and willing defender with good defensive tools.
-Smart player with good intangibles.
All of these guys are of the same player archetype, that of a 3 and D type player. These players are at a premium and are very important in today’s NBA. The ability to space the floor by shooting threes and being able to defend multiple positions at the other end while being a low-usage player on offense is a very important type of player. All things considered, if any of these guys end up being at minimum a rotation player, then that’s a successful pick.
Next: Who should the Pistons trade up for in the draft?
Comparatively, here are a few guys who are projected early in the second round on DraftExpress that are likely to have a team reach for them at the end of the first round. If they are still there for a potential second round pick, they would be interesting options for the Pistons.
-Jordan Bell (PF) from Oregon, projected #31.
-Jonah Bolden (PF) FMP Zeleznik (Adriatic League in Serbia), projected #36.
-Frank Jackson (SG) from Duke, projected #33.
-Kyle Kuzma (PF) from Utah, projected #31.
Stan Van Gundy and the Pistons will have some options available to them on draft night. If the Pistons were to acquire a second round pick, who would you like to see them draft?