Constructing a Pistons “dream team” if they nailed every Draft
2015: Devin Booker over Stanley Johnson with the 8th pick
Another 8th pick bust, yay! The Stanimal never learned how to shoot or do anything on offense, and his defense, which is good, wasn’t enough to offset that.
Devin Booker, a guy who is from Michigan, was sitting right there and this was one of the few times when I can say that I was pretty angry about the pick as it happened.
Booker has since gone on to become one of the top two-guards in the NBA and Johnson is pretty much out of the league. Again, I hate to harp on this, but it was poor drafting, not poor draft position that got Detroit into this mess, as there were great players available every single year and they didn’t manage to find a single one of them.
2016: Pascal Siakam over Henry Ellenson with the 18th pick
You can’t kill a team for not finding a star with the 18th pick, but HENRY FREAKING ELLENSON?!? Please tell me what the Pistons saw in this guy that made them think he could play in the NBA. He’s slower than a brick wall, has no athleticism and can’t defend. But other than that, he’s great!
There were a bunch of guys taken after Ellenson who are still playing valuable roles in the league, while Ellenson peaked in one quarter of a Summer League game.