Every team has an NBA Draft or two (or ten) that they would like to do again, and this applies to both the Detroit Pistons and the Philadelphia 76ers.
The 76ers blew a 26 point lead to the Atlanta Hawks last night and are now just one game away from being eliminated from the playoffs yet again.
The two prizes of “The Process” contributed little, as Joel Embiid was out with an injury and Ben Simmons managed just eight points.
Simmons was the number one overall pick in 2016 and was supposed to be the team’s second superstar. For years we had to hear about how the 76ers were the smartest team in the league because they lost on purpose for nearly a decade so that they could get two guys who have yet to make the Finals.
If the 76ers had to do the whole thing over again, they would certainly make some different choices in the draft, most notably Jahlil Okafor and Markelle Fultz, who they wasted the 3rd and 1st pick on, respectively.
But the 76ers aren’t the only team that would like to do a few of their drafts again.
Detroit Pistons: Henry Ellenson set the Pistons back
The Detroit Pistons took Henry Ellenson with the 18th pick in the NBA Draft in 2016, a pick that ended up hurting the Pistons more than you might think.
Normally you don’t expect the 18th pick to be a difference maker, but when you look at some of the guys the Pistons passed on to take him, it’s clear they could have done much better.
The Pistons were coming off a playoff appearance and might have been able to build on it had they picked the right guy in 2016, but instead they took Ellenson, an indefensible pick at the time that looks even worse now.
Here’s what these two teams would do if they could do it again.
Detroit Pistons: Redrafting the 2016 draft fo the 76ers
First off, I am not as down on Ben Simmons as some other people, but it’s fair to say that he has not lived up to the expectations of a number one pick.
Simmons is a dynamic defensive player, one of the best in the NBA, and he’s a guy a lot of teams would love to have.
But he wasn’t the right complementary piece to add around superstar Joel Embiid in hindsight. It’s hard to kill the 76ers for taking Simmons, as he was the consensus number one pick at the time, but if they had to do it again, I think they’d go in a different direction.
Embiid’s ideal running mate is a guy who can score from the perimeter, as Embiid takes up a lot of space in the paint and is easier to defend if you can just park three guys down there to stop him.
Brandon Ingram, Jaylen Brown or Pascal Siakam would all have been better fits with Embiid, as they could provide the perimeter threat that Simmons does not.
Simmons might be the first 0-and-D player in the NBA, a guy who can defend anyone but can’t score. The 76ers have plenty of defense and could use another playmaker who can occasionally take the scoring load off Embiid.
Simmons is not terrible by any means but he isn’t the right fit. The 76ers have shown that “The Process” only works if you make the right picks in the NBA Draft.
Detroit Pistons: Re-drafting the 2016 NBA Draft
Henry Ellenson was a slew-footed forward who couldn’t defend anyone or get his own shot, yet for some reason Stan Van Gundy thought he was the guy to take with the 18th pick.
SVG showed why having your coach be the GM is a terrible idea, as he kept reaching for draft picks that fit needs instead of just going for talent, which is how the Pistons ended up with duds like Ellenson and Luke Kennard instead of Donovan Mitchell.
In 2016 the Pistons could have chosen Caris LeVert, Malik Beasley, Pascal Siakam or Malcolm Brogdon, who inexplicably fell into the second round.
Siakam is the clear choice in hindsight but he was a relative unknown and very raw, so you just have to tip your cap to the Raptors for finding an undervalued talent.
LeVert or Brogdon is probably the second choice and might have been enough to keep the Detroit Pistons in the playoffs for a few seasons.
Instead, SVG blew another draft pick and the Detroit Pistons never got better until they made the disastrous Blake Griffin trade, which was enough to earn them another sweep in the first round and nothing else.
The 76ers and Pistons are definitely two teams who would like a time machine to go back to 2016 and do the draft again.