As fans of the Detroit Pistons gear up for a high lottery pick in a draft loaded with star power, I can’t shake the memories of their failed drafts. 2003, 2005, 2011, and 2015 all come to mind.
In some years, the Detroit Pistons made the correct choice with their first-round pick. Hindsight is a very useful tool, and in some cases, Detroit made the seemingly obvious choice only to be proved wrong down the line. Here are all their first-round picks over the 21st century, and who they actually should have taken.
Detroit Pistons: Redoing the 2000’s NBA Draft
2000: Detroit took Mateen Cleaves but should have taken Hedo Türkoğlu
With the 14th pick, Detroit rolled the dice on Cleaves and it did not work out. He only spent one dear with the Pistons and played subpar basketball during his 167-game career. Türkoğlu was a knock-down shooter and passer, who had a few good years and a couple of great years playing alongside a young Dwight Howard in Orlando. Had Detroit drafted him, maybe he would have hit the big shot in the 2005 Finals instead of Robert Horry.
2001: Detroit took Rodney White but should have taken Joe Johnson
Rodney White had a career very similar to Matten Cleaves. Short, underwhelming, and he spent almost no time in Detroit. One pick after White, Boston took Joe Johnson at 10, who finished his long career a seven-time All-Star and would have contributed right away to the Pistons’ playoff push, as he was named to the All-Rookie team and averaged 16 points throughout his career.
2002: Detroit took Tayshaun Prince and got it right
Tayshaun Prince was a defensive mastermind and the glue that made the Goin’ to Work era work. One of the biggest draft steals in Pistons, even NBA history. The NBA Champion small forward fell to 23, and Detroit swooped in and made the perfect pick to help build a champion.
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.
Detroit Pistons: Redoing the NBA Draft of the 2000’s
2008: Detroit took DJ White but should have taken Nikola Peković
Yes, I know, Mario Chalmers and DeAndre Jordan are still on the board, why take Peković? The Pistons had Billups still and eventually tried to have Allen Iverson in the lineup, so Chalmers would not have been a good fit at all. DeAndre Jordan was not a good player until he was paired with Chris Paul, and Detroit did not have a point guard anywhere as good as Paul during Jordan’s peak. So Peković makes the most sense. He was a bigger and stronger center than DJ White and was actually a serviceable center until injuries cut his career short, but White never was even that. Also, White never even suited up for Detroit.
2009: Detroit took Austin Daye but should have taken Jrue Holiday
One is an All-Star, and one never started more than 30 games. One is one of the best defensive guards in the league and is still improving, and one is out of the league. In 2009 Detroit could have used a good point guard, especially a scrappy one like Holiday. This is an easy pick.
2010: Detroit took Greg Monroe but should have taken Paul George
Greg Monroe was not a bad pick at all. In Detroit, he was a good player and almost or did average a double-double in all five of his seasons in Detroit. Paul George just had a much, much better career. A seven-time All-Star, George has outplayed Monroe his entire career. Hindsight is rough though because up until 2014 Monroe was better or just as good. Gordon Hayward was still available too, and after his run with Butler, he probably would have been a very popular pick. But now Monroe is out of the league and Paul is one of the top wings in the game, so this one hurts.
2011: Detroit took Brandon Knight and should have taken almost anyone else
Until 2013, it looked like Knight would be the second-best player from this draft behind Kyrie Irving. Since, then, the 2011 draft class has proven to be one of the best classes in recent years. Detroit picked Knight at eight and missed Kemba Walker, who would have played the same position as Knight just at a much, much high level. Still on the board was Klay Thompson, both Morris twins, Kawhi Leonard Nikola Vučević, Tobias Harris, Jimmy Butler, and Isaiah Thomas. Considering Detroit was in need of a guard, Walker makes the most sense, but if they took a swing at any of the other talents, the pick would have been just as good. This one set the team back, as they could have had an All-Star.
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.
2017: Detroit took Luke Kennard but should have taken Donovan Mitchell
I like Luke Kennard a lot. He plays in the NBA the same way I do in pickup games. We both stand behind the arc and wait for a pass, and then shoot it. On defense, we run back and try our best but often get torched. I am not the best player at pickup games, and Luke Kennard is not the best player in NBA games. Donovan Mitchell usually is. Bam Adebayo went right after Kennard and Mitchell, and he would have been a better pick too. Just a bad pick by Detroit, but at least they turned Kennard into Saddiq Bey. I’d rather have Mitchell though.
2018: Detroit did not have a first-round draft pick
2019: Detroit took Sekou Doumbouya and it looks like they got it right
It really is too early to say, but of all the power forwards taken after Doumbouya, it seems like he’s just about on par with the rest of them. Nassir Little and Luka Šamanić both play at around the same level. None of these players get a lot of minutes, so it’s really too soon to make a call.
2020: Detroit took Killian Hayes but should have taken Tyrese Haliburton
Hayes seems to be a good player, and Detroit’s other rookies are all playing well above their projection, but Haliburton is something special. He is maybe the best rookie in the league right now and has stayed healthy all season. Haliburton can do it all, and Hayes can’t, although that’s not a knock against the young Piston. I like Hayes as a Piston and I think he will become a really good player, but Haliburton could easily go down as the best player in the class of 2020.
The Detroit Pistons didn’t get a lot right in the 2000’s but Troy Weaver is turning that around and they now look to have one of the best rookie classes in their history.