Hunter Dickinson returning to Michigan could be good news for Detroit Pistons

Hunter Dickinson has announced he will return to the University of Michigan for at least another year. This decision increases the chances he might end up with the home state Detroit Pistons, as they should be in the market for a young center by next year.

If how a player did in college was the sole basis of where they will get drafted, Iowa center Luke Garza would be the hands down favorite for the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft. He was the consensus National College Player of the Year, after all, and is seventh all-time in scoring in NCAA history.

However, not only is Garza not going to be No. 1, he most likely will not even be drafted in the first round. A mock draft in Bleacher Report, does have Garza going to the Detroit Pistons – but with the No. 52 overall pick in the second round.

Something similar has occurred to University of Michigan center Hunter Dickinson.

He helped lead the Wolverines to the Elite Eight as a freshman, Dickinson averaged 14.1 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game and was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year.

Dickinson also has NBA center size, going 7-foot-1 and 258 pounds.

Yet, after declaring for the NBA Draft, Dickinson recently announced he will return to Michigan for his sophomore season.

Why Michigan’s Hunter Dickinson could be targeted by the Detroit Pistons next year

Dickinson never hired an agent, so he was eligible to change his mind and pull out of the draft pool. He said (according to 247sports) that there were two main reasons he took his name out of consideration:

1. Most projections had him going in the second round, if he got drafted at all.
2. After spending a year on Michigan’s campus during COVID-19, Dickinson would like to experience at least one year of normal campus life.

"“I think the combination of where NBA teams had me slotted to get drafted and, also, the combination of being able to experience a normal year at Michigan,” Dickinson said. “Those two things were probably the biggest influencers for me and things that ultimately led to my decision to come back for another year.”"

Dickinson can spend the year working on the skills that could improve his NBA Draft chances. Probably unintentionally, he also increased his odds of eventually landing with the home state Detroit Pistons.

Pistons center situation

Assuming that Detroit will not draft USC center Evan Mobley, the Pistons have three centers under contract for next season: Mason Plumlee, Isaiah Stewart and Jahlil Okafor.

General manager Troy Weaver has talked about how he is not looking to fill a lot of roster spots. Center is, most likely, not a high priority to make major changes at.

Plumlee is coming off maybe the best season of his career, Stewart was second team NBA All-Rookie and Okafor is playing in the Olympics. There are certainly other positions Detroit needs to pay more attention to, short term, than center.

However, looking at the contracts, Detroit could be in the market for a center following the 2021-22 NBA season.

Okafor’s contract expires at the end of next year, and Plumlee’s will have only one more season left. It is doubtful the Pistons would bring either back, as neither really fits into their future plans.

Stewart will most likely, by then, have established himself at center. But he will need a backup. Since Stwart is just 6-foot-8, a tall player with some offensive skill would be helpful.

Dickinson is both tall and can score around the basket (maybe away from the basket by then, as well).

Detroit has, as of now, two picks in the second round of the 2022 NBA Draft. Moving up or down, or gaining more, is always a possibility with second-rounders.

By next year, Dickinson could have  moved up to being rated an early second rounder or even late first. Detroit could easily gain the draft choice to take him. He could be the first Wolverine drafted in the second round by Detroit since Eric Turner in 1984.

Dickinson would be joining a very promising young core of players in Detroit. If he needs more seasoning, having a well-known local player with the Motor City Cruise, Detroit’s new G-League team, could not hurt attendance at its games.

The Detroit Pistons have never been one to give preference to in-state players. However, timing is everything. Michigan’s Hunter Dickinson’s decision to go back to college this year might turn out to be perfect timing, when he does go pro, to end up with the Pistons.