The Detroit Pistons don’t have the greatest draft history. In fact, you’d have to go back several decades before you’d find a period where the Pistons drafted well consistently.
Fans hope Troy Weaver will change that and there are already promising signs. Saddiq Bey and Isaiah Stewart have both been playing minutes, making an impact and look like solid rotation players at least.
Killian Hayes showed flashes before going down with an injury and it is WAY TOO EARLY to know anything about him considering he’s only played seven games.
Seriously, if you call this guy a bust already just stop watching basketball and go back to video games.
That being said, it’s always fun to look back on an NBA draft to see what could have been and there are some interesting what-ifs for the Detroit Pistons.
Detroit Pistons: What if the Pistons had moved up for LaMelo Ball?
One of the biggest debates on Pistons’ Twitter before the draft was whether the Pistons should have tried to move up to select LaMelo Ball.
Everyone knew the Pistons wanted a point guard but there was heavy debate about which one it could be. Some fans thought the star power and potential of LaMelo were worth trading up for while others thought he had bust potential.
How about now?
LaMelo Ball has been better than anyone other than LaVar thought he would be. He’s averaging 12 points, six rebounds and six assists off the Hornets’ bench and has injected some life into a franchise that desperately needed it.
Sound familiar?
After LaMelo didn’t go in the top-2, the Detroit Pistons might have been able to trade up and get him. They probably should have, as he is exactly the playmaking point guard they need and might even have the Detroit Pistons winning some of these close games.
We’ll probably always wonder how things might have looked with LaMelo Ball in Detroit.
Detroit Pistons: What if Detroit had taken Tyrese Haliburton in the draft?
When the Detroit Pistons were on the clock during the 2020 NBA Draft they still had a lot of choices.
But really it came down to two guys, Killian Hayes and Tyrese Haliburton. Both guys had skills and flaws though Haliburton was considered the more NBA-ready player while Hayes was thought to have the higher ceiling.
Again, I am not suggesting the Detroit Pistons made the wrong choice here as we still don’t know, but it is starting to look bad.
Haliburton has been great for the Kings, averaging 11 points, 3.7 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.2 steals and shooting 42 percent from 3-point range.
With Haliburton, it’s not only about the numbers. He has shown a high basketball I.Q. and looks like a seven-year veteran running the point.
The Kings were jumping out of their shoes with excitement when Haliburton fell into their laps and now we can see why.
The Hayes vs. Haliburton debate is going to continue as long as these two are in the league. Let’s hope that the Pistons end up on the right side of it.
Detroit Pistons: What if the Pistons had kept Luke Kennard?
First off, I should say that I am not a fan of Luke Kennard and never was. I am glad that he is no longer a Piston and think Saddiq Bey is going to be much better if he isn’t already.
I also love Isaiah “Beef Stew” Stewart and wouldn’t change anything that kept him off the Pistons.
But it’s fair to wonder if the Pistons should have just kept Kennard, selected Bey with the 16th pick and moved on from there.
Kennard would help provide the 3-point shooting the Pistons lack and after the Clippers game him a $64 million deal it is fair to ask if the Pistons might have been better off waiting and trading Kennard at the deadline when he might have had more value.
I am ok with how this one worked out, as Kennard is not the type of player the Detroit Pistons want to build around. He is soft, doesn’t play defense and is injury prone, which is exactly the type of guy the Pistons are trying to avoid.
Ultimately, Kennard had to go and fans are happy with Stewart but it might not have been the best allocation of assets.
It’s always easy to look back after the fact and overall fans should be happy with how this team is shaping up.
Troy Weaver has done a good job but with Hayes out, it is hard not to think about what could have been.