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Detroit Pistons: Justin Jackson or Donovan Mitchell

By Luke Wolthuis

Feb 22, 2017; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Justin Jackson (44) with the ball as Louisville Cardinals guard Donovan Mitchell (45) defends in the second half. The Tar Heels defeated the Cardinals 74-63 at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 22, 2017; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Justin Jackson (44) with the ball as Louisville Cardinals guard Donovan Mitchell (45) defends in the second half. The Tar Heels defeated the Cardinals 74-63 at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /
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With the NBA draft just a couple of days away, let’s compare two potential prospects that the Detroit Pistons could be selecting in this year’s draft.

Justin Jackson and Donovan Mitchell both seem like a perfect fit for the Detroit Pistons. Both players have their unique skill that could decide whether the Pistons draft them at the 12th spot in the NBA Draft.

Justin Jackson played forward at North Carolina and is lengthy. Jackson is 6’8″ and has a wingspan of 6’11”. He ended his career at UNC on a high note, winning the 2017 NCAA National Championship. In UNC’s NCAA tournament run, Jackson averaged 19.5 points per game, and came up big on the defensive end of the floor. Jackson’s final year at North Carolina, he averaged 18.4 points per game and shot 36.8 percent from beyond the arc.

One thing that Jackson struggles with is his rebounding. Per 40 minutes Jackson averaged just four defensive rebounds. On the season Jackson averaged 4.7 total rebounds per game. Mike Schmitz and Josh Riddel from DraftExpress talk about Jackson’s size and whether there is evident skill development.

"“While Jackson has shown clear skill development, there are still some things he has to address to compete nightly against NBA wings. At 6’8 with a 6’11 wingspan, he has very good size and length for a wing, but is just an average athlete by NBA standards. He’s a fluid athlete, but lacks a degree of explosiveness. His frame is on the thin side at 201 pounds, which is a cause for concern as a 22-year-old junior, since he’ll likely always be somewhat lanky. He’ll have to continue to get stronger to handle the physicality of a NBA schedule as a small forward, much less be able to spend any time as a small-ball 4-man, which many teams like to see their small forwards do these days.” – Source: http://www.draftexpress.com/article/justin-jackson-nba-draft-scouting-report-and-video-analysis-5948/ ©DraftExpress"

Overall I think most Pistons fans would love to have Jackson in a Pistons jersey next season. With Jackson, you know he’s going to work his butt off each day to get better. The only issue most scouts have seen with him is rebounding and playing offense against lock down defenders.

A second potential draft pick for the Detroit Pistons is Louisville guard Donovan Mitchell. He is classified as a shooting guard but can also play point guard. He is a small guard measuring at 6’3″ but has an outrageous wingspan of 6’10”. If that doesn’t get you excited about this kid here’s what will. Mitchell is an athletic powerhouse. He was the one to watch at this year’s NBA Combine. He had the highest vertical leap at 36.5 and also had the fastest three-quarter court sprint time at 3.01 seconds. You could say his draft stock got boosted at the end of the day.

By the numbers, Mitchell averaged 15.6 points per game and shot just 35.4 percent from three-point land. He averaged 4.9 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game.

Matt Kamalsky and Josh Riddel from DraftExpress talk about his struggles shooting the basketball inconsistency.

"“Part of Mitchell’s struggles creating off the dribble are the result of his inconsistent jump shooting ability, as defenders frequently sagged off of him in the half court. Though there are some things to like about Mitchell’s shooting mechanics namely that he usually shoots on balance and gets great elevation to go along with decent touch his mechanical inconsistencies and lack of great fluidity led to inconsistent results. Knocking down just 27% of his catch and shoot jump shots in the half court, but 40% of his pull-up jumpers, Mitchell isn’t an incapable jump shooter, and is actually quite effective from the midrange, but has a lot of room to grow as a 3-point threat.”- Source: http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Donovan-Mitchell-84680/ ©DraftExpress"

Next: Billups emerging as top candidate for Cavs GM job

Jackson and Mitchell are two entirely different players, but both could help the Pistons in particular areas. Jackson could help the Detroit Pistons offense by providing a spark on offense with his shooting ability. Mitchell could help by providing a solid presence on both sides of the floor using his athleticism and toughness.