Who should the Detroit Pistons take in the 2020 project? The project guru has thoughts

In two weeks, theDetroit The pistons will know where they will choose in the 2020 project.

The lottery will be held on August 20, and new CEO Troy Weaver and the rest of the front office are hoping the odds fall in Detroit’s favor. The Pistons have not drawn more than seventh since 2003 and have never made it to the draft with their pick.

The Free Press spoke to Sports Illustrated NBA draft guru Jeremy Woo, the Pistons and their potential draft project as the new regime prepares for its first lottery. The Pistons have the fifth best lottery odds, the highest since 1994.

The Pistons, being at the beginning of a reconstruction, have many needs. Do you need to think they should prioritize participation in this project, or should the goal be to get the best possible player?

Court: “Probably the latter. If you look at what’s on the roster, they really need to start amassing players who have the potential to increase in value. It’s too early in the reconstruction to say exactly what they need, at least from my point of view. They should swing high or just get a sure thing. It depends on how you see this draft, and I’d say the NBA attitude right now is that there won’t be a star around. There are guys who pop out unexpectedly, but from their point of view I think the likelihood is someone they’re happy with. If they stay at five, I don’t think they have to win the lottery to do well. But it’s really about rejuvenating the roster. It will be interesting to see. They may be able to grab another sooner later if they wish. I’m sure they are very proactive about this draft. “

[NBA mock drafts: Detroit Pistons could address these needs on draft night]

This draft is widely considered a weaker one. Which guys do you think have the best chance of becoming franchise players?

“There is already some hype about LaMelo Ball, it’s interesting. I think there are (teams), and Detroit is one of the teams that will be able to, if it’s on the scoreboard, take that risk. On the one hand, If you are Weaver and have just taken over the team, do you want to bring this first draft into play? I don’t know. And opinion about him varies a bit more in the league than you would think reading articles online. I don’t know if goes up to five. If it goes up to five and they are sitting there at five, there is a good reason for that. If they pick one, I don’t know if that’s the one He’s so big and so skilled that even with warts, with the shots and just the general inexperience in terms of winning matches, I think it’s something you might overlook if you are them and want to try it.

“Anthony Edwards, in terms of upside, there is a reason for. I don’t think he’ll get to five. If they win the lottery, picking from the top two, three, they might be able to pick it. He’s a player that only makes sense. because you can invest the time to develop them. I don’t think the floor is as low with him as some think. The tools are really good and he is really raw, but on the other hand the hand side is contextual too, where he clearly didn’t play much to top-tier basketball before you get to Georgia. It will take some education, but he has a chance to be at least an early caliber winger who can score and defend. You must have good wings right now in the NBA. He’s someone Those are probably the two guys we’re talking about with obvious long-term potential, those are the ones.

“In James Wiseman, you might pull off, I don’t know if, after going through all of this with (former Pistons center Andre) Drummond and then getting rid of Drummond, I don’t know if you want to take a center that’s maybe in a similar mold where the production might still be there, but in terms of winning results it might not be the guy who directly impacts that. ”

The Pistons are almost as likely to draw above fifth overall and below fifth. Given that this draft doesn’t have the same talent hierarchy that many drafts have, would dropping below number 5 this year be just as damaging as an average draft?

“I do not think so. He’s pretty close to all of these guys we talk about as top-10. I don’t think the talent gap is super, super wide. There will be a difference in who is available, but in terms of long-term ramifications, I don’t know if it will necessarily be a problem. At least you will be able to walk away with someone you are fine with later on. They may not be one of the top tier guys if you quit a little. I don’t think this is a draft where anyone should necessarily expect to have a player changing the franchise. If you look to next year, which is going to be much stronger, I don’t think it’s a secret at this point, they will have more chances, more apple bites, so to speak. So I wouldn’t get discouraged very much if they ended up picking up a little later, a guy who isn’t a high-level guy. There are enough guys in this draft, guys who will have a decent career as role actors. There are guys who will become good professionals. But we always talk about “Well, what’s a good draft?” This is the big question. The upside isn’t necessarily that obvious, I think I’d say, this year. ”

Who are some of the dark horses that you think will be better than they have been given credit for?

“For me, Tyrese Haliburton is the guy in plain sight. There are some people who really like him, some people who are inferior. It’s easy to understand the warts of his game, just because he’s still trying to figure out how to score off the He hasn’t traditional shooting mechanics, but he goes in. It’s not like he doesn’t take shots. I’m not saying he’s going to be a superstar, but I think there’s a real chance he’ll have the best career. He might be the most complete player in the draft in terms of different ways he can affect the game. He’s probably a guy who is better off playing with another star. He may not be a traditional, “This is your best player” type of player. He’s a guy who’s a good option out out of the box. And his feeling is so good. He is someone I would feel comfortable with.

“Killian Hayes is another one. If you need a guard, he’ll probably be in the lottery between the middle and the end. I don’t think he’ll be in the top five. I think teams will be a little more wary of athletics and his shooting and how far he has to go. But he’s had a really good year. He’s a player I’ve always liked, having had a couple of opportunities to see him in person. He has a chance to be a starter-caliber player.

“And then another guy is Patrick Williams of the State of Florida, who hasn’t necessarily shown everything he can do, but has clearly checked the boxes on the defensive, physically to be a pretty useful and versatile forward combo. Those types of guys. , you can “I really don’t have enough right now. He’s probably a guy who’s about to enter the lottery mid-late, but probably someone a team will be excited to work with just for growth potential. “

Contact Omari Sankofa II at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @Marisankof. More information on the Detroit Pistons and subscribe to our Pistons newsletter.