The Detroit Pistons will enter the 2021 NBA Draft with four picks to work with and they could use them in a number of ways.
They will likely just use their first rounder on the best player available, although it is possible that they could trade down and try to acquire more picks.
It is also possible that they could trade up, especially if a guy like Cade Cunningham is available for trade and they think he is the best player.
The second round picks are a complete mystery.
The Pistons have three of them and it is very unlikely that they will use them all, so I could see them either packaging them to trade up for a guy like Cameron Thomas in the first round, using them on international players to stash overseas or even trading them for future picks.
However they use the picks, the Detroit Pistons will be looking for a specific type of player.
Detroit Pistons: The Pistons have a mold
The Detroit Pistons are trying to build their system around a certain type of player.
Troy Weaver has shown a preference for long, athletic guys who are versatile defenders who can guard multiple positions.
Jerami Grant, Saddiq Bey, Isaiah Stewart, Josh Jackson and Hamidou Diallo all fit this mold and it is clear that the Pistons are trying to build around defense first.
This is a smart move by Weaver, as all of the top teams in the NBA are near the top of the league in defense, which is not a coincidence.
It’s too soon for the Pistons to start drafting for need, so Weaver will continue to take guys who fit his system and vision of how to build a team.
Here are three players who fit the mold, one for if the Pistons fall out of the top five, one who they might have to trade up to get and one for the early second round.
Detroit Pistons: Scottie Barnes fits the profile of a Piston
If the worst-case scenario happens and the Detroit Pistons fall out of the top five, they still have a good chance of landing impact talent.
Of course, we are all hoping that doesn’t happen and that the Pistons get a chance at a generational superstar rather than a solid rotation player.
But one guy I love outside of the top five is Scottie Barnes, who definitely fits the profile of a guy that Troy Weaver and Pistons’ fans would love.
Barnes projects as a guy who will defend all over the floor, make plays and be the type of “glue” player who does whatever it takes to win.
He has often been compared to Draymond Green, another guy who couldn’t shoot coming out of college and was known mostly as a defensive specialist.
Barnes is a playmaker from the forward position and would give the Pistons another guy who can facilitate the offense other than Jerami Grant and Killian Hayes.
He definitely fits Troy Weaver’s system, as he will be able to defend 4-5 positions in the NBA, won’t care about stats, will play hard every night and won’t necessarily need the ball in his hands to thrive.
If he improves his outside shooting, he could be the best 3-and-D player out of this draft.
Detroit Pistons: The Pistons could trade up for Davion Mitchell
If the Pistons decide to use their three second round picks to try and move up into the first round, then Davion Mitchell is a guy they could target.
No player other than Jalen Suggs helped their draft stock in the NCAA Tournament as much as Mitchell, who showed himself to be a tough point guard who would fit in well with what the Pistons are building.
Mitchell might be the best on-the-ball defender in college basketball and would give the Pistons a boost in that department coming off the bench. It might seem like the Pistons have too many guards already but Dennis Smith Jr. probably won’t be with the team next season, Saben Lee has fallen out of favor and Killian Hayes has barely played and needs a backup.
Davion Mitchell also provides something that none of these guys do, which is 3-point shooting.
Mitchell hit 44 percent of his long range shots in college on a fairly high volume, so his shooting should translate to the next level.
What will definitely translate is his defense and if the Detroit Pistons want to lean in to the defensive-minded mentality Troy Weaver seems to favor, then Mitchell could be a guy they move up to get.
Detroit Pistons draft picks: Ayo Dosunmu would be a second round steal
Another guy who fits what the Detroit Pistons are building is Ayo Dosunmu from Illinois.
I wrote about Dosunmu during the NCAA Tournament, though things didn’t quite go as planned for Illinois.
Dosunmu is a lanky combo guard who can defend all over the floor, has a high motor and a long wingspan to allow him to guard up.
He perfectly fits the system that Troy Weaver is building, as he is a position-less player who can do a little bit of everything, is tough and is a leader who will play hard every night.
The Pistons draft picks in the second round would currently be #38, 43 and 53, which may be too low to get Dosunmu, who is projected to go near the top of the second round or higher.
If he does happen to fall, the Detroit Pistons would probably give him a look, as he is definitely a Troy Weaver type.
My only issue with Dosunmu is that he is very similar to a couple of guys they already have, as he is long and athletic but has a questionable shot.
The Detroit Pistons are going to keep looking for guys who fit their mold and system and these three will almost certainly be on their big board.