The Detroit Pistons entered this year’s NBA Draft Lottery with the expectation of landing a top-five pick. They had a 10.5% chance of landing the first overall pick.
Well, neither scenario happened.
The Detroit Pistons will have the 7th overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. The last time the organization had a top-10 draft pick was in 2015.
That is when selected Stanley Johnson from Arizona with the eighth overall pick.
The choice of Johnson was not a popular pick amongst Pistons’ fans. Some wanted the team to take Duke’s Justise Winslow––who was selected by the Miami Heat with the 10th overall pick–– at the time. Then there was another segment of fans who wanted Kentucky’s Devin Booker, whom the Phoenix Suns grabbed with the 13th overall pick.
With Booker blossoming into an NBA All-Star and one the best three-point shooters in the league, Pistons fans appear to be apprehensive about any move the team makes in the draft. After all, the draft history of former Pistons President of Basketball Operations left much to be desired.
Remember, the team selecting Darko Milicic over Carmelo Anthony––who was fresh off a national championship with Syracuse––did happen. And Van Gundy’s time as Pistons head coach and President of Basketball Ops. was not without questionable draft choices as well. With the 12th overall pick, Van Gundy took Luke Kennard out of Duke to much chagrin. After all, Louisville’s Donovan Mitchell was still on the draft board.
And rumors are he did not miss a single shot during his workout with the Pistons.
However, that was then, and this is now. What we know now is that the Pistons have wholly overhauled its front office with new GM Troy Weaver leading the way in player personnel moves. The verdict is out on whether Weaver will continue the recent trend of questionable first-round picks by the organization, or bring a new perspective.
One thing is for sure. For a team that is currently in the middle of a rebuild, the pick in this draft will significantly impact the team’s direction moving forward.
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