Constructing a Pistons “dream team” if they nailed every Draft
2017: Donovan Mitchell over Luke Kennard with the 12 pick
Yet another pick where a lot of Pistons’ fans were screaming “NOOOOOOOOO!” at the tv as soon as it was announced. This is what happens when you let your coach make personnel decisions, as Stan Van Gundy clearly drafted for the need he saw as a coach instead of talent.
Kennard is a decent, one-dimensional role player in the NBA and Mitchell is an All-NBA player who has made the playoffs every season of his career.
2018: Keeping Bruce Brown
Finally! The Pistons nailed this one and selected Bruce Brown, who was just a key player on a title team, with the 42nd pick.
What this exercise really shows is how bad Detroit was at managing their roster and assets, as it is the second time in 10 years that they didn’t even own a first-round pick. And keep in mind, this wasn’t a team that was winning, as they didn’t have a single playoff victory in this stretch.