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Detroit Pistons fans should take NBA rookie survey with a grain of salt

ByAaron Ferguson|
MADISON, NJ - AUGUST 11: Sekou Doumbouya #45 of the Detroit Pistons poses for a portrait during the 2019 NBA Rookie Photo Shoot on August 11, 2019 at the Fairleigh Dickinson University in Madison, New Jersey. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Jennifer Pottheiser/NBAE via Getty Images)
MADISON, NJ - AUGUST 11: Sekou Doumbouya #45 of the Detroit Pistons poses for a portrait during the 2019 NBA Rookie Photo Shoot on August 11, 2019 at the Fairleigh Dickinson University in Madison, New Jersey. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Jennifer Pottheiser/NBAE via Getty Images)

Detroit Pistons rookie Sekou Doumbouya didn’t appear on the NBA rookie survey, which should be taken lightly by Pistons fans.

It shouldn’t surprise anybody that Detroit Pistons rookie Sekou Doumbouya is nowhere to be seen on the 2019 NBA rookie survey.

The NBA released its 11th rookie survey on Monday, which allows the incoming rookies to predict the Rookie of the Year, who will have the best career, the biggest steal of the draft, the most athletic rookie, best shooter of the class, the top defender and best playmaker. The survey started in 2007 and was not conducted in 2008 or 2011.

Detroit’s 15th overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft was not even mentioned in the “others receiving votes” portion of any category.

It’s not a surprise that No. 1 pick Zion Williamson received 87 percent of the most athletic vote. Doumbouya must have left an impression on the rookie’s favorite for Rookie of the Year, too. During the rookie photoshoot put on by the NBA, Williamson took control of a video and introduced Doumbouya as, “this guy with bounce.”

Doumbouya is only 18 years old so he has plenty of opportunity to make a name for himself. Pistons senior adviser Ed Stefanski said on a recent interview that he doesn’t see Doumbouya factoring in to the Pistons’ 2019-20 season but he has qualities that the team doesn’t have. That bodes well for the future, despite the other rookies not taking notice.

March Madness is one of the highest-viewed events in the world and that’s highly reflected in the rookie survey. Players from Power 5 conferences dominate the survey historically. It makes sense that players who appeared on television during their college careers give their peers more intel on one another.

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This is the sixth straight year that a player from Duke was voted to have the best career.

Only 12 times does a non-Power 5 player appear in the survey. Four of those players were selected to be the best shooter, however there hasn’t been a non-Power 5 player selected in this category since Doug McDermott of Creighton in 2014. Kris Dunn of Providence accounts for three of the 12 mentions, in which he was ranked for Rookie of the Year, best defender and best playmaker in 2016.

No international player who didn’t play in college has been the top vote getter for any of the survey categories.

Doumbouya entered the NBA Draft after playing professionally in France so his older peers have likely never seen him play. The forward has limitless potential with so little being known about him.

The Detroit Pistons have never been represented well since the survey’s inception. Luke Kennard was voted the best shooter by his peers in 2017. The other two Pistons draftees never amounted to anything in the league. Terrico White never played a NBA game despite being voted most athletic in 2010. Three years later Tony Mitchell, who played 21 career games, was voted most athletic, too.

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In reality, the Pistons have whiffed on a lot of draft picks, sending them into a downward spiral from the glory days of the Going to Work Pistons in the 2000’s. There have been solid selections – Greg Monroe (2010), Brandon Knight (2011), Andre Drummond and Khris Middleton (2012), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (2013) and Spencer Dinwiddie (2014) – that have contributed at the NBA level. But it never amounted to anything in Detroit.

Drummond is all that’s left of those selections and the Pistons may lose him to free agency after the season. He pairs nicely with Kennard and 2018 second round pick Bruce Brown. It’s a long way before Doumbouya’s story is written.

The NBA rookie survey is always fun to see what the rookies believe but it’s not the be-all, end-all. It’s a subjective list that doesn’t necessarily amount to anything. Only once in 10 surveys have the rookies correctly predicted the Rookie of the Year winner.  Draymond Green is the only player to become an All-Star that was voted “biggest steal/most overlooked,” though Donovan Mitchell is on his way.

There’s no need to fret over a subjective survey, which some may consider a popularity contest. Enjoy Doumbouya’s development and what he offers the Pistons in the future.

What are your thoughts on the NBA rookie survey? Let us know in the comments or by liking Piston Powered on Facebook and following us on Twitter @PistonPowered.

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