Detroit Pistons: Steal or bust? 5 controversial 2021 NBA Draft prospects

Detroit Pistons: NBA Draft prospect, Davion Mitchell

Davion Mitchell is the classic case of a guy’s draft status being hard to gauge because of the NCAA Tournament.

I like Mitchell, as he is a tough on-the-ball defender and a winner, but winning in college does not always translate to success in the NBA, nor can you judge a guy too harshly if his team flames out early in the tournament.

Yes, there are some intangibles displayed in a long run in the NCAA Tournament and there are guys like Stephen Curry who rode that into superstardom in the NBA.

Will Mitchell be one of those guys?

He’s gotten a ton of hype since the tournament and if you look at his raw numbers there is a lot to like. He shot over 40 percent from long range and is a good defender.

But he’s also a bit undersized to defend up, is already 22-years-old.

I think Mitchell is going to be an NBA rotation player and has a chance to be a pretty good one as a defensive specialist who can shoot, but is that worth top-12 pick?

If he gets picked in the top-15, that seems too high and largely based on recency bias from the tournament. I love him late in the first round, but not so much as a reach in the lottery.

It will be interesting to see how he ends up comparing to teammate Jared Butler, who will probably be drafted later and may end up being better.

Verdict: Bust