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Detroit Pistons draft picks: Redrafting the 2000’s for the Pistons

By Jonah Kubicek

Paul George #13 of the Los Angeles Clippers drives to the basket against Saddiq Bey #41 of the Detroit Pistons (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
Paul George #13 of the Los Angeles Clippers drives to the basket against Saddiq Bey #41 of the Detroit Pistons (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images) /
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Darko Milicic (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

Detroit Pistons: The Pistons miss out on a dynasty

2003: Detroit took Darko Miličić but should have taken anyone else

2003 was one of the most stacked draft classes ever, and Detroit had their pick of the litter with the 2nd overall pick. Obviously, Carmelo Anthony is who Detroit fans wish their team took, but Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade were also on the board, and all three of them will most likely end up in the Hall of Fame. Darko will not be inducted any time soon. Also on the board were Chris Kaman (5th overall), David West (18th overall), Boris Diaw (21st overall), and Kyle Korver (51st overall). This draft had 9 All-Stars, and of the 58 players picked 47 of them had NBA careers, and Detroit managed to pick the biggest draft bust of all time ahead of NCAA Tournament hero Carmelo Anthony or any other of the NBA talent in the draft.

2004: Detroit did not have a first-round draft pick

2005: Detroit took Jason Maxiell but should have taken David Lee

With the 26th pick, Detroit took a consistent bench player, which is what most teams do when they draft 26. Maxiell was not a bad pick at all, but David Lee at 30 was a steal. He appeared in two All-Star games and did not fully develop until the 2008-09 season, which would have given Detroit a tiny chance to make some noise in the Central Divison until the emergence of Derrick Rose in Chicago and Miami’s Big Three. During Lee’s peak, he put up 20 points per game, which surely would have been very helpful.

2006: Detroit did not have a first-round draft pick

2007: Detroit took Rodney Stuckey and got it right

With the 15th pick, Detroit took Stuckey who was actually a pretty decent guard. Nick Young and Marco Belinelli went right after, but Swaggy P didn’t put up good numbers until he was paired with Kobe Bryant, and Belinelli was a product of the Spurs and their development, so Detroit picked the player that best fit. Marc Gasol went late in the second round, but Detroit had no way of knowing the player he would turn into, so you can’t really hold that against them.

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