Detroit Pistons: 1st-round misses in the 2019 NBA Draft
In the end, some fans might be happy that the Detroit Pistons missed out on some of these players, as nabbing one of them may have prevented them from eventually getting Cade Cunningham.
The counter-argument is that it just would have sped up the rebuild, as there were two borderline stars they could have taken instead of Sekou Doumbouya, guys who weren’t as risky that paid off big for their respective teams.
- #28: Jordan Poole
- #29: Keldon Johnson
Both of these guys are averaging over 20 a game for their respective teams and at least look like borderline stars who can be the third-best player on a good playoff team. The Spurs are far from being that, but the Warriors have leaned heavily on Poole and see him as a big part of the future.
Having gone to school in Michigan, the Detroit Pistons had front-row seats to Poole’s career, which makes him the bigger miss here.
But there were also three role players who the Detroit Pistons definitely wish they had now in Matisse Thybulle, Brandon Clarke and Grant Williams, who are all contributors on good teams. While Detroit was looking for a high-ceiling star outside of the lottery with the 15th pick, the 76ers, Grizzlies and Celtics were adding guys who became quality role players, which is one of Detroit’s biggest needs now.
Detroit not only selected a bust, but then made some moves that just didn’t make much sense at the time and even less so now.