How the Lakers championship could influence the Detroit Pistons draft pick

The newly crowned NBA champions could place some influence on who the Detroit Pistons select in the draft.

The 2019-2020 season officially wrapped up last week with the Los Angeles Lakers winning their 17th title in franchise history. LeBron James won his fourth, and the major trade for Anthony Davis paid off in the way everyone thought that it may. Believe it or not, this could have implications on the Detroit Pistons next draft pick.

One of the reasons the Lakers were so successful both in the regular season and in the bubble was due to the sheer height they possessed in their rotations.  Between LeBron, Davis, JaVale McGee, and Dwight Howard, Los Angeles was able to protect the rim with ease.

They ranked fourth in the league during the regular season in opponent field goal percentage at the rim. In the playoffs, they dropped to sixth. They also lead the league in blocks per game in the regular season, and were third in the playoffs.

What we all witnessed as the playoffs began to close out, is that teams weren’t able to combat the size of the Lakers, more specifically with Davis and LeBron.

Portland couldn’t deal with it, Houston on a good day had P.J. Tucker playing well, and even the Nuggets didn’t have an answer outside of Nikola Jokic. The match up he had with Davis proved to be pretty interesting, but the answer for LeBron was inevitably nonexistent

So now as we officially head into the offseason we’re seeing reports that a lot of teams, specifically in the Western Conference, feel that they need to add significant size in order to combat the Lakers in the playoffs.

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Additionally, the Houston Rockets and longtime General Manager Daryl Morey amicably parted ways recently. Many have viewed this as the potential end to “small ball” and playing to analytics.

Whether or not that actually ends up being the case remains to be seen, but for all intents and purposes, let’s assume that it is.

The slight revolution that we had begun to see in the NBA will dissipate. While teams may still play position-less basketball, and the versatility of those five players on the floor will be pretty high, we’ll slowly revert back to a more traditional lineup in terms of size.

So as the Pistons look to make their upcoming selection in the NBA Draft, this could be kept in mind. While it’s largely assumed by the fans that Detroit will select Killian Hayes or Tyrese Haliburton if either are available, this could change.

Ed Stefanski mentioned a few months ago that the team will likely draft the best player available, regardless of position. Even if Hayes is still on the board, that player could be Onyeka Okongwu.

The 6’9″ center out of USC has been regarded as the best big man in the 2020 Draft class, and could very well fall to the Pistons, if this were to happen, there’s a decision to be made.

It’s his versatility on the defense end, his tenacious rebounding, and his effectiveness as a pick and roll option that make him such an interesting prospect. These are all facets of someone’s game who could be successful at the next level.

Coincidentally, it’s also exactly what Detroit needs.

Okongwu’s ability to float in passing lanes and defend multiple positions is valued incredibly high. His quickness on his feet and with his hips allows him to stay on the ball on a drive to the basket. Additionally, he makes shot blocking look completely effortless.

His ability to defend the post is exceptional, as he never backs down from anyone and will meet anyone at the rim.

Now this isn’t to say that the Pistons should no longer entertain the idea of drafting a point guard, because they should. Having that position filled out long term is arguably just as important, if not more.

However, as the players coming into the league begin to grow in size, it’s important to adjust for it and match in any way that you can. No one is expecting the Pistons to go and and size up the Lakers next season, but if this is the path the league is going down, you need to prepare.

Even guards are getting bigger, but they’ve seldom been the exclusive reason that a team has won a championship in recent years. Matching up against three through five is what matters the most in today’s NBA.