The age old question every fan must ask themselves as the NBA draft approaches. “Who should we pick in the draft?” As a Michigan native and honorary Pistons fan I must ask myself this question. I browsed through the large number of Mock Draft predictions, seeing which players most sports experts had Detroit landing with the 15th and 45th picks in the Draft. Now, if your from Detroit or live in the city then you already know the frustration that has built up in the hearts of many Pistons fans over the years. Most of which is simply due to the fact that the Pistons’ organization has a history of passing up on amazing players in the draft that go on to become stars in the league.
The biggest player probably being Carmelo Anthony back in the 2003 draft and the most recent being Donovan Mitchell in the 2017 draft. We passed up on both of these players who went on to become stars in the league. Donovan Mitchell being a rising star in his own right and leading the Utah Jazz to 2 consecutive playoff runs post Gordon Hayward.
I say all this to say, there is pressure on the Pistons to draft the best players that are available at the 15th and 45th slot. The Pistons need a backup center and a scoring wing player. Zaza Pachulia is a free agent this summer, and many expect John Leur to be either traded or waived this summer. So, there will be a need for another backup center behind Drummond & Thon Maker. The Pistons are in an even greater need of a scoring wing player though. The Pistons have went through several shooting guards in the past few years. Picking up a solid wing player in the draft at 15 seems like the way to go. Andre Drummond even said it himself that “I think we’re in the hunt for a wing, a tall wing.”
Kevin Porter Jr USC “gettyimages”
In steps Kevin Porter Jr , Many Mock drafts have the Pistons drafting him with the 15th pick which I feel is the best choice. At 6’5 212 lbs , Porter Jr. seems like a very solid wing player. He’s still very young being just 19 years old. He only averaged 9.4 PPG along with 4.0 RPG and 1.4 APG. He played restricted minutes as a freshman this past season, but he shot over 40% from behind the arch. He is also extremely athletic and explosive on the fast-break. If he is available by the time the 15th pick comes around then grabbing him up should be a no brainer.
Moses Brown UCLA “gettyimages”
With the 45th pick, the Pistons will probably go after a young center to play limited minutes behind Drummond and Thon Maker. I think the 7’1 center from UCLA, Moses Brown, would be a great pick at 45. He is listed at 245lbs and he would be a solid backup center. Brown is a very athletic big and can handle the ball if need be. He almost averaged a double-double in his freshman season averaging 9.7 PPG & 8.3 RPG. Brown is 19 years old and a former McDonald’s All-American. Many of the mock drafts have him falling just short of making a draft selection, but he’s a sleeper. The former All-American deserves consideration especially towering at 7ft tall. I think he’d be a great piece alongside Thon Maker who is also a long 7ft big .
