Detroit Pistons draft picks of the last 10 years: Where are they now?
2014 Draft
Round 2 Pick 38: Spencer Dinwiddie
With the Pistons lone pick in the 2014 draft, they selected Spencer Dinwiddie. A promising combo guard out of Colorado who was projected by many to be a lottery pick before he suffered a torn ACL in his junior season.
In his two seasons with Detroit, Dinwiddie did not receive much playing time. In two seasons, Dinwiddie played a total of 46 games to average 4.4 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 2.7 assists while playing 13.3 minutes per game. After two seasons with the Pistons, he was traded to the Bulls in exchange for the forward Cameron Bairstow.
Hindsight is always 20/20 and looking back on it now this was an incredibly regrettable decision by the Pistons as they traded a potential franchise point guard for a guy who would not play another NBA game. A brief month after the trade went down, Bairstow would be waived by the Pistons and would never play another game in the NBA.
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The path to solidifying himself in the NBA for Dinwiddie was not easy either. Like Bairstow, Dinwiddie was also waived shortly after he was traded to the Bulls. He would be signed to a new contract a few weeks later just to be waived once again in October after appearing in just five preseason games. Dinwiddie would be out of the NBA for a few months until in the December of 2016 he would be signed by his current team, the Brooklyn Nets where he would experience his NBA breakout.
It appears as if all Dinwiddie needed was an opportunity as in the three seasons he has spent with the Nets his minutes have increased and so has his production. Every season Dinwiddie has been a member of the Nets his production has risen (7.3 points per game in 2016-17, 12.6 points per game in 2017-18, 16.8 points per game in 2018-19). Dinwiddie has broken out on the scene as a legitimate NBA starting-caliber point guard and the outlook on his career is trending upward as he is still only 26 years of age.
The drafting of Dinwiddie is one of the best “diamond in the rough” picks the Pistons have made in the last 10 years and at the same time, the overlooking of Dinwiddie’s abilities is one of the worst talent recognition decisions the Pistons have made within the same time span.
Notable Players Passed On: Nikola Jokic, Jerami Grant