Ranking the Detroit Pistons' Best Options with the No. 8 Pick in 2015 NBA Draft
The Detroit Pistons have the No. 8 pick in the NBA draft, and there is just one glaring hole on the roster they need to address.
Until Thursday, the Pistons had uncertainty at both forward positions. But after trading Caron Butler and Shawne Williams to the Milwaukee Bucks for power forward Ersan Ilyasova, their biggest need overwhelmingly becomes a starting small forward.
At point guard, Brandon Jennings and Reggie Jackson are both capable starters. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has started the majority of his first two seasons at shooting guard. Ilyasova can move into the starting lineup assuming Greg Monroe leaves in free agency. And Andre Drummond will continue to man the middle at center.
That just leaves the 3, where Butler was the guy down the 2014-15 stretch, and 35-year-old Tayshaun Prince backed him up. According to David Mayo of MLive.com, Prince is not expected to return.
Coach and team president Stan Van Gundy likes to have as many strong shooters and defenders on the floor as possible, and he is starting to fill out the roster to his liking after one season in Detroit. With the No. 8 pick, expect him to add the player who best fits those traits.
"The Pistons need a shooter," Mayo said. "They want someone who can create off the dribble. They would like a multi-positional defender."
The top of the draft is heavy with big men and point guards, but there are several small forwards who could fit in with the Pistons. Van Gundy should have the opportunity to draft someone capable of playing at the 3 right away in 2015-16.
5. Sam Dekker
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If Van Gundy believes Sam Dekker will turn into a top-notch NBA shooter, then the Wisconsin junior could be a really good fit with Detroit's current roster.
Dekker is projected to go anywhere from the late lottery to the early 20s, so it would be a big shock if he wasn't on the board at No. 8. But he wouldn't be an enormous stretch if Van Gundy thought he was the right guy.
At 6'9" and 230 pounds with a 7'0" wingspan, Dekker has elite size and length for the position. He's a good but not elite athlete, measuring a 34-inch vertical leap. He has the potential to become a versatile defender, with the physical abilities to defend some shooting guards and most perimeter-oriented 4s.
The biggest strike against Dekker is his lack of an elite jumper. He made 39.1 percent of his threes on one of the best offensive teams ever. When the arc moves back and the defending gets better, will he still be able to knock down as many triples?
"The story on Dekker remains the same: If he can shoot, he’s a steal," Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated said. "Weak perimeter shooters need to be elite defenders (see Andre Iguodala, Tony Allen) and though Dekker has good size and athleticism, he’s not viewed as a defensive stopper."
Dekker should be a better shooter than either of them, but it's not a guarantee that he'll be Klay Thompson from the arc, either. Unless Van Gundy trades down or falls in love with the physical potential, Dekker likely stays on the board past No. 8.
4. Kelly Oubre
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The Pistons need someone to contribute right now at small forward, but letting Kansas' Kelly Oubre Jr. develop could be worth the wait.
Oubre is an elite physical specimen who could turn into a true perimeter stopper. He's 6'7" and 200 pounds and has a tremendous 7'2" wingspan. That puts his arms in the neighborhood of Giannis Antetokounmpo.
His lone season at Kansas was a bit up and down, but Oubre finished fourth on the team in scoring at 9.3 points during just 21 minutes per game. He also surprised people in a good way by knocking down nearly 36 percent of his triples.
Oubre is far from a finished product offensively, but he has the potential to be a big-time scorer, especially when he learns to use his athleticism to get to the line. Against TCU in the Big 12 tournament, he had a season-high 25 points by getting to the line 19 times.
Drafting Oubre would likely mean the Pistons would need to find a veteran small forward to share the workload or possibly even start in 2015-16. Oubre will need time to develop, but his upside may be too tantalizing to turn down, and most projections say he'll be available at No. 8.
3. Mario Hezonja
3 of 5The Pistons have been bitten before by taking an international player at the top of the draft, but Croatian Mario Hezonja has the skill set to become an elite offensive piece.
He's a young player who got big minutes on European powerhouse Barcelona this past season. He has the ability to score from the outside and at the basket, and there is plenty of room left for him to grow.
"He's a 6'8" talent who is comfortable on the wing," Gary Parrish of CBSSports.com said. "He can shoot and score from the perimeter. And he's only 20 years old."
"He’s an explosive athlete who fearlessly attacks, traits not often seen in young European prospects," Mannix wrote. "He’s a strong shooter, too, making him a particularly appealing prospect."
Hezonja could be off the board when the Pistons draft—No. 7 to the Nuggets is a popular projection. But he very well may be available for Van Gundy, and his offensive talent would be huge for this Pistons team.
2. Stanley Johnson
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If Van Gundy wants to draft the most NBA-ready defender available at small forward, he'll take Arizona's Stanley Johnson.
While most prospects, especially freshmen, come into the NBA needing to bulk up, Johnson is already a dominant physical presence at 6'7" and 245 pounds with a 7'0" wingspan. He's built in the same mold as Metta World Peace, who won Defensive Player of the Year as Ron Artest in 2004.
Johnson was a strong offensive player in his lone collegiate season as well, averaging a team-high 13.8 points while hitting 37.1 percent of his threes. He wasn't an elite shooter, but he should at least be an average player from beyond the arc.
He has slid a bit in the draft, as scouts don't see the same athletic upside with him as they do with players like Oubre and Hezonja. But Johnson fits what Van Gundy wants to do on both ends of the court.
"Johnson shot better than projected during his only college season at Arizona," MLive.com's David Mayo said. "He has a quick first step. He is the strongest top-flight small forward in the draft and should prove capable of wedging offensive space. His ability to defend multiple positions may be the easiest of Van Gundy's boxes to check."
Johnson is projected to go in the second half of the lottery and should be on the board at No. 8. He would be a good fit for the defensive core Van Gundy already has in place with Caldwell-Pope and Drummond.
1. Justise Winslow
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Duke's Justise Winslow looked like a top-five pick two months ago, but now it seems there is a chance he could be around at No. 8.
Both CBSSports.com's Zach Harper and ESPN's Jeff Goodman have Winslow heading to Detroit in their latest projections.
"Stan Van Gundy will celebrate if Winslow, the versatile wing who helped lead Duke to the national title, is still on the board," Goodman said. "He needs a wing with size, and while Winslow didn't quite measure up, he can guard multiple positions and brings no shortage of toughness to the table."
Winslow was a bit shorter than expected at the combine, possibly the reason for his perceived drop in stock. But he has big-time talent, and the size wouldn't be an issue at No. 8.
He has the athleticism to be an excellent defender, and he averaged over 12 points per game on the best team in the country and shot 41.8 percent from beyond the arc as a freshman. Winslow meets the biggest criteria for Van Gundy's wings.
It is likely that Winslow is gone before the Pistons draft, and they would have other good choices at small forward if he is off the board. If he's available at No. 8, however, Van Gundy shouldn't even think before taking him.
Jakub Rudnik covers the Detroit Pistons as a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. Talk Pistons basketball with him on Twitter:
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