SteemSports Presenter:
SteemSports Editor:
Despite the addition of Blake Griffin, the Detroit Pistons finished the 2017-18 season conventionally, by not making the playoffs. The Pistons wasted another year of Andre Drummond’s blossoming young career, and it's fair to assume that Coach Stan Van Gundy is in danger of being fired by the front office. The Pistons haven’t been able to be a real contender ever since they won their last championship. One of the reasons attributing to the cause is their weak scouting team, who always struck out on well-rounded prospects over the last decade, excluding Andre Drummond. Detroit’s young talents have't been able to develop and wind up turning out to be a bust. Now, we will take a look at the Pistons’ worst draft mistakes over the past decade.
Stanley Johnson
Stanley Johnson was the 8th overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft out of Arizona. Johnson looked like he was going to be a major force in the NBA with his two-way skill set. He played outstanding basketball during his NCAA stint, which the NBA scouts noticed. He also played well in the summer league and in the pre-season, but when the regular season came around, he hit the typical rookie wall-block and has yet to escape. He hasn't been able to become a reliable scorer, and his defensive skills took a major downfall. The Pistons would’ve turned out better if they drafted Myles Turner, Kelly Oubre, Larry Nance Jr., Terry Rozier, or Devin Booker.
Brandon Knight
Brandon Knight was the 8th overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft. In the first couple months of his NBA career, Knight insinuated to be an exceptional pick, showcasing his great ball handling skills and his sweet scoring touch from all over the floor, but after he departed to the Bucks, followed thereby the Suns, his career took a major downfall to the point that he wasn't even a part of the team’s rotation. Also, injuries were a major halt that ruined his career. The Pistons could’ve selected Nikola Mirotic, Klay Thompson, of franchise players like Kemba Walker, Jimmy Butler, or even Kawhi Leonard.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was the 8th overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft. After a tremendous stop in Detroit, their fans were let down when the team decided not to match any offer sheets he received as an unrestricted free agent and let him walk away, without receiving anything in return, after his short 3 year career in Detroit. Caldwell-Pope is not a bust, and he is playing well now with the Lakers, but the Pistons have to really be regretting drafting him, after letting him walk away because they could’ve drafted Dennis Schroder, Tim Hardaway Jr., Steven Adams, Rudy Gobert, CJ McCollum, or Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Greg Monroe
After Detroit drafted Greg Monroe, it seemed as if they had found a very dominant twin towers duo of Andre Drummond and Greg Monroe. But, the team dealt Monroe because of his lack of defensive awareness and poor spacing after only two seasons with the Pistons. Monroe is now part of the Boston Celtics organization, and he was a sure fit in the Celtics line up. Detroit would’ve been way better if they drafted Eric Bledsoe, Avery Bradley, Gordon Hayward or Paul George.
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