The Detroit Pistons infamously drafted Darko Milicic, which is one of many bad draft picks. Here is who they should have selected since then.
News that Pistons’ travesty Darko Milicic was returning to basketball had me triggered into the fetal position, where I sucked my thumb and silently sobbed into my Rasheed Wallace jersey, dreaming of what could have been. It brought me back to 2003 and the nightmare of the 2003 NBA Draft.
The Pistons, being the generous souls that they are, decided to forego a dynasty and let other teams win titles by choosing Darko instead of Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony or Chris Bosh. You’re welcome, rest of the NBA.
Since the Darko catastrophe, the Detroit Pistons have been cursed, generally choosing the wrong player in the draft, developing hardly any homegrown talent and passing on generational superstars that could have drastically changed the last decade and reduced the number of times I hurled a bag of Cheetos at the television.
The Pistons went from being one of the best teams at evaluating and developing talent to one of the worst and this is the primary reason they haven’t won a playoff game since the first year of the Obama administration.
The Pistons have guessed poorly, been too conservative, drafted for need instead of potential or just plain gotten it wrong. And it shows, as Detroit features a roster with little young talent and hardly anyone that they drafted or developed themselves.
Ed Stefanski hopes to turn it around and draft Detroit’s first NBA All-Star since Andre Drummond and has done enough with the moves he’s made so far to warrant some amount of hope and patience.
The new regime may be off the hook for now, but the old guard has a lot to answer for after striking out in nearly every draft since that fateful night in 2003. I’ll let hindsight be my guide and tell you who the Pistons should have drafted every year since then.
2004-2006: All-Star and Role Players
2004
Who they drafted: Ricky Paulding (54)
Who they should have drafted: Damien Wilkens
The Pistons didn’t have much to choose from at the bottom of the draft. Damien Wilkins went undrafted and ended up having a decent career with the Sonics and later Detroit.
2005
Who they drafted: Jason Maxiell (26), Amir Johnson (56), Alex Acker (60)
Who they should have drafted: David Lee, Marcin Gortat, Will Bynum
Notable Misses: Ersan Ilyasova, Monta Ellis, Lou Williams
Sadly, this was one of Detroit’s better drafts and they still missed on most of the talent. Maxiell and Johnson ended up being solid role players in the NBA, but Lee was an All-Star and had a much better overall career that was hampered by injuries. Sixth Man of the Year Lou Williams is still getting buckets for the Clippers though he didn’t blossom until later in his career. Gortat would be an upgrade over Johnson, and Detroit could have had the undrafted Bynum instead of Acker. Maxiell was a fan favorite, but I’m certain Detroit fans would have liked Lee, Ellis or Williams more.
2006
Who they drafted: Will Blalock (60)
Who they should have drafted: J.J. Barea
When you have the last pick in the draft why not swing for the fences? Barea was small but it didn’t matter, he ended up being a weapon off the bench and great change of pace backup point guard. Would have been fun to have him in Detroit.
2007-2009: Big Man and the Role Player Dream Team
2007
Who they drafted: Rodney Stuckey (15), Arron Afflalo (27) Sammy Mejia (57)
Who they should have drafted: Marco Belinelli, Marc Gasol, Anthony Tolliver
Notable Misses: Joel Anthony
Another weak draft where Detroit managed to find some value but still missed out. Stuckey was defensible over Belinelli at the time, but the latter continues to be a key role player for San Antonio and Stuckey is out of the league. Afflalo was the real value at 27 but an even greater value would have been Gasol, who ended up becoming one of the most versatile big men in the league and just helped Toronto win a title. Gasol led the “Grit and Grind” Grizzlies for years and would have been a fan favorite in Detroit.
2008
Who they drafted: D.J.White (29), Deron Washington (59)
Who they should have drafted: Goran Dragic, Timofey Mozgov
Notable Misses: DeAndre Jordan
Dragic ended up becoming a Top 10 point guard in the league for a stretch and would have been great alongside Stuckey. Jordan was the other big miss here. Imagine a team with Jordan and Gasol, ugh, let’s move on.
2009
Who they drafted: Austin Daye (15), DaJuan Summers (35), Jonas Jerebko (39), Chase Budinger (44)
Who they should have drafted: Jrue Holiday, Patrick Beverley, Danny Green, Patty Mills
Notable misses: Jeff Teague, Taj Gibson, DeMarre Carroll, Aron Baynes, even Wayne Ellington
This was arguably one of the Pistons’ worst drafts and one that set the franchise back considerably, as none of the four players they selected had meaningful NBA careers (Jerebko was a good value pick). This was one of the worst drafts for misses in general, ask Memphis, who could have had James Harden, Stephen Curry or DeMar DeRozan but took Hasheem Thabeet, or Minnesota, who managed to land not one, but two point guards without selecting Curry, who was still available. Austin Daye was the big flop here, as Holiday is still great and Beverley, Green and Mills are part of the role player Dream Team. Ugh.
2010-2012: Painful Misses and the Ripple Effect
2010
Who they drafted: Greg Monroe (7), Terrico White (35)
Who they should have drafted: Paul George, Lance Stephenson
Notable Misses: Ish Smith
Greg Monroe was okay for Detroit but didn’t work alongside Andre Drummond and ended up becoming a dinosaur in a league that got quicker and less focused on the post game. George went to rival Indiana and helped to rebuild their franchise back into a competitor with his play and eventually the haul the Pacers got by trading him. This was a huge miss for Detroit and continued their inability to identify and draft a quality wing, which is still evident on the roster today.
2011
Who they drafted: Brandon Knight (8), Kyle Singler (33), Vernon Macklin (52)
Who they should have drafted: Kawhi Leonard, Isaiah Thomas, Justin Holiday
Notable misses: Klay Thompson, Kemba Walker, Nikola Vucevic, Tobias Harris
Look at that list of names. This one hurts. The Pistons selection of Knight wasn’t defensible then, but now looks like a pick that rivals Darko for worst in franchise history. The Pistons missed out on future Hall of Famers in Leonard, Thompson and Walker. Harris and Vucevic would have been nice upgrades as well. This was another draft that set the Pistons back and kept them locked in perpetual mediocrity.
2012
Who they drafted: Andre Drummond (9), Khris Middleton (39)
Who they should have drafted: Andre Drummond, Khris Middleton
Finally, the Pistons hit some homeruns. Drummond would probably go fourth in this draft now behind Anthony Davis, Damian Lillard and Bradley Beal, so the Pistons did well here. Middleton was also an excellent selection at 39 but the Pistons managed to botch it by packaging him with Knight in a trade for Brandon Jennings. The Knight pick was so bad that it continued to ripple into future seasons, costing the Pistons Middleton, who is now an All-Star and exactly what the Pistons lack. One bad draft hurts a team exponentially and the Daye, Monroe and Knight picks continue to haunt the Pistons.
2013-2015: The MVP, The Joker and The Scorer
2013
Who they drafted: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (8), Tony Mitchell (37), Peyton Siva (56)
Who they should have drafted: Giannis Antetokounmpo, James Ennis III, Robert Covington
Notable misses: CJ McCollum, Rudy Gobert, Steven Adams, Seth Curry, Troy Daniels, Matthew Dellavedova
After one good draft the Pistons promptly returned to the norm and screwed up this pick horribly. KCP is not terrible, but the current MVP of the league was on the board, as was CJ McCollum and Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert. This was another case of the Pistons going for the solid rotational player rather than taking a chance on a guy like Giannis. The Pistons are not a free agent destination, so superstars are only coming via draft or trade. The Bucks swung for the fences and it paid off. The Pistons need to take more chances in the draft on high ceiling low floor players and quit taking guys who are solid, safe and mediocre.
2014
Who they drafted: Spencer Dinwiddie (38)
Who they should have drafted: Nikola Jokic
Ho hum, another draft, another Pistons’ miss on a generational talent. Every team missed on Jokic, so I won’t kill the Pistons for that one. Dinwiddie falls into the same camp as Middleton, a good pick who the Pistons traded away for nothing only to watch him thrive on another team. Detroit has not only drafted poorly but failed to recognize or develop the talent they did have. This is how you get trapped as perpetual eight seed.
2015
Who they drafted: Stanley Johnson (8), Darrun Hilliard (38)
Who they should have drafted: Devin Booker, Norman Powell
Notable Misses: Justise Winslow
This ended up being a fairly weak draft that was rumored to come down to Stanley Johnson and Winslow, and most people were shocked when Detroit didn’t take Winslow. But Booker was the real miss, as Detroit continues to need shooting and Booker has become one of the best scorers in the league.
2016-2019: Need over Potential and a New Chapter
2016
Who they drafted: Henry Ellenson (18), Michael Gbinije (49)
Who they should have drafted: Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet
Notable misses: Malcolm Brogdon
I’m not sure what the Pistons saw in Ellenson, who is too slow to guard anyone in the NBA, regardless of whatever offensive skill he has. I hated this pick at the time and hate it even more now, as the Pistons could have rising star Siakam or Brogdon, who are both playing for rival teams in the East. Well done, Detroit.
2017
Who they drafted: Luke Kennard (12)
Who they should have drafted: Donovan Mitchell
Notable misses: Kyle Kuzma
If Mitchell didn’t exist, then the Luke Kennard pick doesn’t look so bad. Kennard is showing signs of being a talented player and many expect him to make the leap in year three.
But Donovan Mitchell does exist.
Mitchell is already a star and a trendy hipster pick to win MVP in his third season. Kennard may end up being a solid player in the NBA, but this was a clear case of the Pistons drafting for need over potential and the primary reason why no coach should also be general manager. Stan Van Gundy took Kennard because he needed shooting and passed on the more intriguing/higher upside Mitchell. I think Kennard will be very good, but it’s unlikely he’ll ever be anyone’s pre-season pick for MVP.
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2018-2019
Who they drafted: Khyri Thomas (38), Bruce Brown (42), Sekou Doumbouya (15), Deividas Sirvydis
Who they should have drafted: ?
I’m lumping these picks together because there’s not enough evidence yet to judge. Brown and Thomas were the first picks of the Ed Stefanski era and even though they were just second rounders, there is reason for hope. Bruce Brown became a surprise starter last year and showed signs of being a plus defender at potentially three different positions. Thomas also showed some signs last year and may end up becoming a decent trade asset if nothing else. The 18 year old Sekou Doumbouya is exactly the type of swing for the fences pick I’ve long hoped Detroit would make, as he is raw but has high upside.
Stefanski and company have made small but savvy moves thus far that have improved the Pistons’ talent and roster depth. Is it possible that Detroit has finally washed off the Darko stink?
The NBA Draft offers perpetual hope for the downtrodden franchises and for the first time in awhile I feel like Detroit might have a reason to believe.