The Detroit Pistons could draft their franchise point guard in 2020

The 2020 NBA Draft is expected to be headlined by dominant freshman. No matter where they select, the Detroit Pistons could potentially select their next franchise player – an experienced point guard.

With the future of point guard Reggie Jackson seeming fairly ambiguous with the Detroit Pistons, it’s safe to say that after the 2019-2020 season Detroit could have a serious point guard issue on their hands. Derrick Rose is one of the better scoring options coming off of the bench – but just that. Pushing him into a starting role could prove to fail due to his injury history.

So, if Detroit chooses to not re-sign Jackson, and doesn’t make a trade to fill that role, what do they do?

Select Cassius Winston in the 2020 NBA Draft.

Winston (a native of Detroit) is heading into his final season at Michigan State, and is coming off a year where he lead his team to a Big Ten Title as well as a Final Four appearance in March Madness. Winston has established himself as one of the greatest point guards to play at Michigan State, drawing comparisons to Scott Skiles and Magic Johnson.

Winston is arguably the best passer and the best pick and roll point guard in the upcoming draft class, and the Pistons need just that. A season ago he played with a team that was essentially a watered down version of Detroit’s current roster.

He played alongside Matt McQuaid, whose long range shooting ability mirrors Luke Kennard‘s. Xavier Tillman, an athletic forward who can guard multiple positions similar to Blake Griffin, and finally Nick Ward. A towering big man who can operate in the paint and protect the rim.

This could potentially be the exact blueprint needed in order to generate success for Detroit, as Winston is already used to running a similar Dwane Casey style offense.

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Winston is a gifted and crafty scorer, who can put the ball on the floor and push the pace in transition, or generate offense in a half court setup. He dominates on the pick and roll, and as is customary for smaller-framed point guards, he has an effective floater.

His jump shot would become an immediate asset to Detroit’s offense, as he averaged 18.8 points in his junior season while dishing out 7.5 assists on 46 percent shooting. In his sophomore season he shot a historic 49.7 percent from beyond the arc on 4.3 attempts per game.

Heading into his senior season, Michigan State was recently ranked the number one team in the country, and currently has the top odds to win the National Championship at 6/1 (via The Action Network). Winston also opens as the favorite to win the player of the year award at +140.

He rarely commits turnovers, as last year he finished with a career low turnover percentage at just 15.5 percent (an estimate of turnovers per 100 possessions). His passing ability is second to none, and can frequently create open looks for his wings in the corner, or his big men in the low post.

Winston is a play maker, that’s what he does. His ceiling is somewhat unknown, as his 6-foot-1 inch body frame tends to shy NBA scouts away. His size doesn’t affect his offensive game, however it can create problems for him on defense, as he isn’t nearly as pesky of a defender as he could be.

What’s most interesting, is despite his notoriety in the college basketball world, and his team’s success in his tenure, you won’t find Winston at the top of any NBA Mock Drafts. You may not even see him in the first round. This is a rather curious thing, as Winston has risen to the occasion time and time again and delivered for his teams on the biggest stages. He provides leadership to his team that the Pistons could desperately use at his position.

Winston has potential to be great in the NBA, and he has one final year to improve his draft stock. This will have to include a higher dedication to on-ball defense. His undersized build will likely continue to do him a disservice, but no matter where Detroit picks in the first round of the upcoming draft, there’s a significant chance that Winston will be available.

The Pistons would be wise to set up their contingency plan for the post-Griffin years. Drafting a proven four-year point guard with a transcendent skill set would be a tremendous first step.