The Detroit Pistons were ecstatic to add Jaden Ivey with the 5th pick in the NBA Draft and hope he can help speed up the rebuilding process.
The Pistons will have one of the youngest rosters in the league next season and could have an entire starting lineup of guys they have recently drafted depending on what coach Dwane Casey’s depth chart looks like.
This certainly isn’t the first time the Pistons have tried to build through the draft, as they did the same in the early 80’s when they drafted Isiah Thomas and then started tacking on talent around him, nailing draft picks like Joe Dumars, John Sally and Dennis Rodman just a few years later.
It’s how they were able to win two titles and have the kind of sustained success that Troy Weaver wants to build with this current squad.
Getting Jaden Ivey should help, and could give Detroit a chance to do something they have never done in the history of the franchise.
Detroit Pistons: Jaden Ivey and the All-Rookie team
The whole theory behind tanking is that teams can get elite talent multiple seasons in a row that will eventually develop into a quality, homegrown squad.
Stacking top-5 picks is certainly one way to do it, though the Pistons have also had luck later in the first round as well.
That was the case with both Saddiq Bey and Isaiah Stewart, two players that made the All-Rookie team after being taken near the middle of the first round.
Overall number one Cade Cunningham also made the All-Rookie team last season and narrowly missed winning Rookie of the Year.
Ivey hopes to join them on the All-Rookie team this year, and if he does, it will mark the third year in a row that Detroit has had at least one player on the All-Rookie team, and who knows, if things work out, Jalen Duren could join him.
This would be the first time in team history that the Pistons have had All-Rookies for three seasons in a row.
Fans can argue all day about the best way to build a sustained winner, but having All-Rookies three years in a row is a great sign that the Pistons are on their way to doing it.
Ivey will be eager to prove he is the best player in his draft class, and an appearance on the All-Rookie team would not only make team history but show that Troy Weaver is well on his way to building a roster that can consistently compete for the playoffs and titles in the near future.