The Detroit Pistons will definitely be scouting the Final Four, as there are a number of interesting potential draft picks.
The Final Four did not go to scratch as usual, but there are still two #1 seeds remaining and a lot of good players who will eventually find their way into the NBA.
The Detroit Pistons currently have the third-worst record in the NBA, so are in prime position to get a top-five pick as long as the Lottery Gods don’t do them dirty once again.
In addition to their lottery pick, the Pistons will have three picks in the second round coming from Toronto, Charlotte and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Those picks would currently be 37, 49 and 54, though the Pistons are hoping all three teams lose some more games between now and then so their picks will be higher.
Today’s Final Four games will feature Baylor vs. Houston and Gonzaga vs. UCLA.
UCLA is the real underdog here, as they have played their way into the Final Four from the #11 seed.
Here is one player from each team that might fall into the Pistons’ draft range, starting with an injured player from underdog UCLA.
Detroit Pistons: Possible draft pick from UCLA- Chris Smith
Chris Smith entered the 2020 NBA Draft and then withdrew his name at the last minute to return for his senior season. This happened to several guys who didn’t want to end their college careers during a pandemic-shortened season with no NCAA Tournament.
Smith probably regrets his decision now, as he tore his ACL just eight games into the season and had to miss the rest of it.
Smith was projected to be a second-round pick before his injury and his road to the NBA got even tougher.
Smith is a versatile defender with good length who can shoot the 3-point shot. He has some offensive limitations but is a plus-athlete who is 6-foot-9 so can defend both forward positions.
He runs the floor well and was shooting 50 percent from deep (on a low number of attempts) in his eight games before injury.
Smith will have to prove that he is healthy but some team will probably take a flyer on him late in the second round. He does fit the profile of the long, versatile defenders that Troy Weaver seems to like, so he is an option with the Lakers’ pick.
More than likely he’ll end up being an undrafted free agent who has to work his way onto a team through Summer League and the G-League.
Detroit Pistons: Possible draft pick from Houston- Quentin Grimes
Quentin Grimes is another guy who is projected to go in the second round who might catch the Pistons’ eye.
He too fits the profile of what the Pistons are building, as he is a versatile perimeter player with size who can defend multiple spots.
Grimes is a big shooting guard at 6-foot-5 and uses his long wingspan to disrupt passing lanes and get steals.
He is also a very good 3-point shooter, which is something the Pistons could definitely use. Grimes has hit 41 percent of his long range shots on over eight attempts a game, numbers that should translate to the next level.
Even though the Detroit Pistons already have a couple of guys in Josh Jackson and Hamidou Diallo who provide defense from the two-guard position, they could use an injection of 3-point shooting, especially after shipping Svi Mykhailiuk to OKC.
Grimes could provide that shooting off the bench, can defend his position and has shown the kind of toughness that Troy Weaver obviously likes.
Grimes has probably helped his draft status with a strong tournament and could have worked his way into the first round. If not, he’ll be a guy the Pistons will take a look at with one of their second-round picks.
Detroit Pistons: Possible draft pick from Baylor- Davion Mitchell
Baylor has a pair of junior guards who both fit the profile of what the Pistons might be looking for in the draft.
Depending on which big board you are looking at, both of them could go in the first round, but if Mitchell happens to fall to the early second, he is a guy the Pistons will take a look at.
The Pistons are seemingly set at point guard, but let’s pump the brakes on anointing Saben Lee, Frank Jackson or Dennis Smith Jr. the next backup.
Lee has shown promise but is still raw. Jackson is probably not really a point guard and Smith Jr. is injured and hasn’t really been very good outside of a couple of highlight-reel dunks.
Mitchell provides a skill that none of those three provide from the point guard position, which is long-range shooting. Mitchell has been a 45 percent 3-point shooter this season on pretty good volume, so he could be a lightning-in-a-bottle type scorer in the NBA off someone’s bench.
He’s a tough player, a good defender and most importantly, a winner and leader.
The Pistons are not in a position to draft for need right now, they just need talent, so if they like Mitchell and he is there in the second round, Weaver will pull the trigger even though the Pistons already have a glut of point guards.
Detroit Pistons: Possible draft pick from Gonzaga- Jalen Suggs
Jalen Suggs has probably done as much to help his draft status as anyone on the board, as he has had a strong tournament and his undefeated Gonzaga Bulldogs may be headed for a NCAA championship.
Suggs has showcased a brilliant all-around game, including a near triple-double in their win over USC and fellow projected top-five pick Evan Mobley.
Suggs has replaced Cade Cunningham at the top of some draft boards, and some scouts feel that his combination of defense, rebounding and playmaking could make him the best guard prospect at the next level.
Suggs has plus size for the position and can do a little bit of everything on both ends. There are some questions about his long-range shooting but Suggs checks most every other box for what a team would want from a modern point guard.
Of course, the Pistons just drafted a point guard named Killian Hayes who is returning to action tonight, but both he and Suggs can play off the ball and both have the size to defend either guard position.
As I said earlier, the Detroit Pistons cannot draft for need, they have to take the guy they think will be the best player, even if that person is a point guard.
A backcourt of Suggs and Hayes would give the Pistons two talented playmakers with size who can defend, which would look pretty good with Saddiq Bey, Isaiah Stewart and Jerami Grant.