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

Detroit Pistons: The Drummond era of the NBA Draft

2012: Detroit took Andre Drummond and got it right

Drummond was the reason Detroit basketball was at all watchable during his tenure in Detroit. The 2012 draft was horrendously bad and Detroit made the right pick at nine. Draymond Green was still there, but no one in their right mind at the time would have taken him that early, so no one can judge Detriot for letting him fall to 35. Drummond was the guy and Detroit made the right pick. Had the front office not dropped the ball in 2010 and Drummond was paired with Paul George, maybe the team would have made some pushed at the Finals.

2013: Detroit took Kentavious Caldwell-Pope but should have taken CJ McCollum

KCP was a decent player in Detroit and shot very well from behind the arc, but CJ McCollum is just the better player. Maybe it’s because he plays with an elite point guard, but McCollum was the best player that made any sense. Detroit did not scout Greece, so they had no idea that Giannis Antetokounmpo would end up being the best player in basketball at his peak, and Rudy Gobert was a late first-round pick at best who just turned into a much better player than anyone else thought. McCollum was the pick that made sense and would have worked out. Of course, no one remembers Detroit missing out on anyone because Anthony Bennet was selected first overall.

2014: Detroit did not have a first-round draft pick

2015: Detroit took Stanley Johnson but should have taken Devin Booker

Sometimes, when the pick isn’t clear, you should just take the best player available from Duke or Kentucky, and chances are they’ll turn into a solid NBA player. The 2015 Kentucky squad was one of the best ever. Four of their players went in the first round, and they were compared to Micheal Jordan’s Bulls at one point. Even though the comparison was absolutely asinine, it still exists and we should laugh at Sports Nation every day for publishing that. The point is, Devin Booker was great in college, and the fact that he managed to slip to 13 (after teammate Trey Lyles!) is crazy and Detroit should have picked him up, especially before Johnson.

2016: Detroit took Henry Ellenson but should have taken Pascal Siakam

Siakam went a full nine picks after Ellenson at 18, but he should have been a clear choice. Detroit wanted a power forward to pair with Andre Drummond, and Siakam was and is just that. In the NBA, he has emerged as a star while Ellenson is currently his backup in Toronto. Even in college, both were great scorers and rebounders, but Siakam was just a little bit better at both and turned the ball over far less, all while being a more efficient player. It was a bad pick in 2016, and it’s an even worse pick now.