Detroit Pistons history: Re-drafting the 2011 NBA Draft
Detroit Pistons: 2011 NBA Draft pick #2-4
player. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. Minnesota Timberwolves. Kyrie Irving. 2. 86. Point guard
While I think Kawhi is a clear-cut choice for #1, you can definitely argue who should go next. Irving went first in the original draft and I don’t think he would fall much further than two, as he has been one of the most prolific scorers in the NBA in his career, a seven-time All Star who hit one of the biggest shots in the 2016 Finals on his way to a title with Cleveland.
Forward. Utah Jazz. player. 118. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. Jimmy Butler. 3
This is another one that can be argued, but Butler is still one of the best two-way players in the NBA even though his career got off to a slow start.
Butler went 30th in the original 2011 NBA Draft but there is no way he’d fall outside of the top-5 if we could do it again.
Butler is now a five-time All-Star and All-Defensive player who has made All-NBA four times.
4. player. Scouting Report. Klay Thompson. Pick Analysis. Guard. Cleveland Cavaliers. 156
Imagine how different things might have been if the Cavaliers had teamed up Kawhi Leonard and Klay Thompson in this draft. Even if they had stuck with Kyrie and taken Klay over Tristan Thompson, the balance of the league might have been shifted.
I am pretty sure the Golden State Warriors wouldn’t like this scenario, but that backcourt would have been fun to watch and it might have been the Cavs, not the Warriors who ended up a dynasty.