The Detroit Pistons have three promising rookies in Saddiq Bey, Isaiah Stewart and Killian Hayes from the 2020 NBA Draft.
All three have shown flashes that they will be impact players in the NBA, and Bey and Stewart have played well enough to deserve consideration on the All Rookie team.
Hayes has missed most of the season with a hip injury but he has given fans plenty to be excited about since his return, as he has played solid defense and flashed elite passing skills for someone his age.
The NBA Draft is basically a crap shoot, so for Troy Weaver to find three contributors it shows an eye for talent that should speed up the Pistons’ decades-long rebuild. This is especially true considering that two of the picks fell outside of the lottery, as Bey and Stewart now have to be considered the two biggest steals in last year’s draft.
That led me to wonder what the 2020 NBA Draft might look like if we did it again today. The top-ten would definitely be shaken up, with a few guys dropping out and a few new names pushing their way in.
But what about the three Detroit Pistons’ rookies? Would all three of them be chosen in the top ten if we had to do it again?
I can’t imagine that the Timberwolves would change their pick if they had to do it again, as Edwards has been one of the top rookies by any measure and looks like the frontrunner for Rookie of the Year even though the Timberwolves are the worst team in the NBA.
Edwards is averaging over 18 points a game, has some of the highlight dunks of the season and very much looks the part of the number one pick.
A lot of things will change in this top ten, but Edwards is not one of them, as he looks like the foundational star the Timberwolves have been seeking to add to Karl-Anthony Towns.
2020 NBA Draft: Redrafting the top ten, pick No. 2
The Golden State Warriors are one of the teams that would definitely like to have a do-over on the 2020 NBA Draft.
James Wiseman has been pretty good for the Warriors in his rookie season and he does fill a need, but I can’t imagine the Warriors would let Ball slip again after watching what he was doing before his injury.
LaMelo looked like a superstar in the making before going down with a season-ending injury and his play is one of the big reasons the Hornets have been able to make a leap this season as a team.
Stephen Curry is having an MVP-caliber season for the Warriors and doing it with virtually no help, so having another playmaker who can get him the ball in space would be ideal.
Having Ball would allow Curry to play more off the ball and to carry less of the load offensively, and wouldn’t this have been fun?
I think LaMelo to the Warriors will always be one of the biggest what-ifs from this draft.
2020 NBA Draft: Redrafting the top ten, pick No. 3
Tyrese Haliburton has been very solid this season and now looks like the second-best point guard from the draft.
The Hornets probably would have taken Wiseman here, but given what they know now, Haliburton is the clear pick.
He’s not as flashy as LaMelo and probably doesn’t have as high a ceiling but he already looks like a veteran point guard in his rookie season.
Haliburton can score from all over the floor, is a good passer averaging five assists per game mostly off the bench and can defend his position.
The Hornets wanted a point guard to go with the promising young trio of players they already had, so getting Haliburton would be a pretty good consolation prize after missing out on LaMelo Ball.
Haliburton looks like a guy who is going to have a solid and long career and will probably make a few All-Star games along the way.
2020 NBA Draft: Redrafting the top ten, pick No. 4
This might be the Detroit Pistons’ fan in me talking, but I think Saddiq Bey would go much higher if the draft were done again.
The Bulls could very well just stick with Patrick Williams here, as he has had a solid rookie season and has flashed some big potential. At the time of the draft, Williams was seen to have the higher ceiling of the two and he was a guy who rocketed up draft boards at the last minute.
The Detroit Pistons were rumored to be after Williams as well, and if the Bulls hadn’t taken him, he may very well be a Piston right now.
But Bey has been just a little bit better at everything, has been a more versatile defender and is on the verge of breaking the All-Time record for 3-point makes by a rookie.
Chicago may just stick with their original pick here, but Bey would be a nice fit with Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic and has been one of the top-five rookies all season.
Call me a homer, but I think Bey goes in the top five if the 2020 NBA Draft were done again.
2020 NBA Draft: Redrafting the top ten, pick No. 5
I think the Cavaliers are another team that would potentially keep the guy they drafted, as Isaac Okoro has been very good and is a nice fit with their young core.
But so is Patrick Williams, who I believe has the higher ceiling even though Okoro might be the best perimeter defender from the draft.
Williams can play both forward positions, has shown better than advertised long-range shooting, and is a pretty good defender himself, so the Cavs might reach for his higher potential if this were done again.
Both guys have played big minutes on bad teams and have shown flashes of All-Star potential this season, so the Cavs really couldn’t go wrong here.
But ultimately Williams has the higher potential to be an elite talent, while Okoro has “very solid role player” written all over him. The Cavs would shake things up if they had the chance to do it again and Williams was available.
2020 NBA Draft: Redrafting the top ten, pick No. 6
The Atlanta Hawks were looking for a versatile big man who could defend the rim and step away from it when they drafted Onyeka Okongwu.
Okongwu has played sparingly this year, has missed time to injuries and hasn’t been a meaningful contributor for the Hawks.
The Hawks already have a very good center in Clint Capela, but Stewart would have been a nice backup off the bench or even a complement to him in big lineups playing the four.
People mocked the Detroit Pistons when they traded up to get Beef Stew but no one is laughing now, as he is leading all rookies in blocked shots, rebounds and field goal percentage.
He has shown a never-ending motor and the ability to defend just about everyone on the floor, which is something that the Hawks could definitely use.
Stewart has been the best center taken in this draft at this point in the season, and his ability to step out and hit the 3-point shot has changed the ceiling of what he can be.
Again, call me a homer but I think Isaiah Stewart goes a lot higher if this draft is done again and Okongwu drops out of the top ten.
Detroit Pistons: Would Detroit still take Killian Hayes at no. 7?
The Detroit Pistons wanted to take the best point guard available unless Patrick Williams was still on the board, and I’ve seen nothing to change that.
Some silly fans wanted to call Hayes a bust after just seven games, which is really the height of absurdity, as he is still a teenager and is playing the NBA’s most difficult position.
Still other, even dumber fans, think Hayes is a bust because he is not already a first ballot Hall of Fame.
https://twitter.com/AlabamaScribe56/status/1383816185305735174
We have guys like Jerami Grant and Julius Randle having breakout seasons at age 26, but Killian Hayes is a bust when he is 19 and played like 12 games? Ok.
I think the Detroit Pistons are still very high on Hayes, still think he has the potential to be the best player in this draft and would still take him again if they had to do it over.
2020 NBA Draft: Redrafting the top ten, pick No. 8
The Knicks have been one of the surprise teams in the NBA this season, as no one expected them to make such a big leap under new coach Tom Thibodeau.
A lot of people thought Obi Toppin was a reach when the Knicks took him and more might think that now, as he hasn’t managed to be an impact contributor yet.
Jae’Sean Tate is the guy who would move the most in a re-draft, as he has been one of the best rookies of the season and would fit with what the Knicks are doing, which is building around their defense.
Tate doesn’t have the ceiling that some of the others in the top-ten do, as he is already 25-years-old but he has proven himself to be a scrappy player who can do a little bit of everything.
Who knows, the Knicks might reach for a point guard here like Cole Anthony but Tate’s style of play would fit in with what Thibodeau is doing and would give the Knicks another gritty defender on the wing to complement R.J. Barrett.
Of course, the Knicks might just take Immanuel Quickley here since he has been very good for them. If they could have gotten a more productive player here, the Knicks’ ceiling would be higher.
2020 NBA Draft: Redrafting the top ten, pick No. 9
I really have no idea what the Wizards would do, as I would have predicted them to blow it up by now. But they still have both Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook, and are now trying to find a back door into the playoffs.
I think the Wizards are one of the teams that would stick with their pick, as Avdija has shown signs of being exactly who they thought he was when they drafted him, which is a versatile, playmaking forward who can defend and do a little bit of everything on offense.
Avdija has not shot the ball particularly well, but on a team with Beal and Westbrook, it’s not like he’s getting a ton of looks.
He has shown better than advertised rebounding, is a good passer for his size and I think the Wizards are probably happy enough with his rookie season to draft him again.
2020 NBA Draft: Redrafting the top ten, pick No. 10
The Suns are THE surprise team of the NBA this season, as no one expected them to be fighting for the league’s best record, but here we are.
If they had to do it again, they would definitely choose a guy who is more ready to help them now, as the Suns are thinking title this season and would love to have more depth, especially on the defensive end.
They would definitely consider James Wiseman here, but they already have a very similar player in DeAndre Ayton.
Instead, they take the best perimeter defender in the draft in Isaac Okoro, who would be a nice complement to the perimeter players they already have. Who better to pair with Devin Booker than a guy who can defend anyone on the perimeter and doesn’t care about his offensive stats?
The Suns would have a lot of options here but Jalen Smith would probably not be one of them, as he has barely played and has made no meaningful impact for one of the NBA’s best teams.
The Suns are probably still high on his potential but title windows close quickly and they need someone who can play now.
The top ten of the 2020 NBA Draft would look a lot different if it were done today. Even if you don’t think all three of the rookies on the Detroit Pistons would go this high, they definitely would go higher than they did in the real thing.
Well done, Troy Weaver.