Should the Pistons regret not drafting Donovan Mitchell?

With the Donovan Mitchell and the Utah Jazz coming into town Wednesday night, should Stan Van Gundy and the Detroit Pistons have any regrets about taking Luke Kennard over the electric Jazz guard?

After dropping a heart-breaker to the Brooklyn Nets, the once 2nd place Detroit Pistons (22-23) now find themselves again in contention for a late lottery pick.

Stuck in the NBA purgatory of mediocrity and riddled with expensive contracts with very few promising young pieces, the Pistons are at a franchise-defining fork in the road as the trade deadline nears.

Pistons fans can’t help but look across the country and notice what rookie sensation, Donovan Mitchell, is doing in Salt Lake City and wonder what it would be like if the Pistons hadn’t passed on him.

In the days leading up to the draft, mocks were split on the Pistons taking Luke Kennard or Donovan Mitchell.

Luke Kennard was seen as an elite scorer who could shoot effortlessly from deep, but noted defense as a major weakness.

Per Draft Express,

"Kennard possesses outstanding scoring instincts from all over the court, but his advantage on offense starts with his elite-level shot-making ability. He converted a sky-high 44% of his 3-pointers this past season, with many of them coming on very high degree of difficulty attempts. He moves off the ball intelligently, constantly relocating based on where the ball is and how the defense is reacting, and only needs an instant to get his shot off thanks to his super quick release and excellent shot preparation.The biggest question marks NBA people have about Kennard undoubtedly revolve around his defense. He has an unappealing combination of short arms, average lateral quickness, and a just-decent frame that already puts him at a significant disadvantage right off the bat.”"

Donovan Mitchell’s profile from Draft Express describes him as elite athletic talent with great defensive instincts, with streaky shooting as his weakness.

"Standing just 6’1 ¼ without shoes, Mitchell has less than ideal height for a NBA shooting guard, but compensates for that with a gigantic 6’10 wingspan, a chiseled 211 pound frame, and tremendous athleticism that allows him to play much bigger than his size.Mitchell’s physical tools give him significant potential as a scorer in both the half-court and in transition. He is both shifty and powerful changing gears with long strides and the type of frame that can absorb contact en route to the basket, even if he’s yet to fully harness this into a consistently efficient weapon.He covers ground impressively, and has the length to finish creatively around the basket, often mixing in spin moves.Perhaps the most appealing part of Mitchell’s profile, particularly early on in his career, lies on the defensive end.With that said, Mitchell was a very streaky shooter in his time in college, due to his less than stellar shot-selection."

So should the Pistons regret passing on Mitchell for Kennard?

Yes they should.

While Luke Kennard is a fine young player and could develop into a quality starter in the NBA, Donovan Mitchell had “boom-or-bust” potential coming out of college.

His freakish athleticism and sweet shooting stroke made scouts salivate at the potential that he carried, but his accuracy from beyond the arc gave scouts pause.

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Kennard was the safe choice. Scouts knew he’d struggle on the defensive end, but would make up for it with his lights-out shooting and craftiness on the offensive end.

After passing on a shooter (Devin Booker) for a player who was known for his defense and not his shooting abilities (Stanley Johnson), Stan Van Gundy likely balked at the idea of taking a chance on another “boom-or-bust” player in Mitchell.

Kennard also filled a need for the Pistons. With Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s future with the Pistons in jeopardy, the stunning lack of depth at the shooting guard position, and the general need for outside shooting – Kennard became the obvious choice.

However, the Pistons weren’t close enough to contention to be making “safe” choices. They needed to take a chance on a potential star at the position that they drafted in.

Many teams have had their franchise altered because they took a chance on a player in the late lottery.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kawhi Leonard are two examples of players that had oodles of potential going into the draft, but needed a team to take a chance on them.

Mitchell has not-so-quietly put his criticism to bed this season.

Not only has he showcased his athleticism on a nightly basis, he also has ended the myth of him being a “streaky shooter”. He ranks in the 89th percentile for spot-up shooting this season.

Mitchell has officially stepped into the void that Gordon Hayward left as the face of the Utah Jazz franchise.

The Pistons are still looking for their identity and face of their franchise.