2011 NBA Draft Grades: The Detroit Pistons and 5 Teams That Could Have Done More
As David Stern took the stage, so did future NBA stars.
And duds.
It was an interesting night at the 2011 NBA draft. Even though there was a reasonable deficiency of Grade-A talent, plenty of trades for veterans were made to fill the voids.
The first few selections surprised no one. Tristan Thompson to the Cavaliers was a bit of a puzzle, but by the 10th pick, the madness began.
By the end of the draft, three teams finished without any new rookies while a number of franchises added three, and in some cases four, newbies to their squad.
Teams like the Charlotte Bobcats, Cleveland Cavaliers and Denver Nuggets made solid additions to their roster. Talent may have been a bit scarce in this year's draft, but it was apparent of who were "winners" and "losers" this year.
Here is a look at some of the underachievers for the 2011 NBA draft.
The San Antonio Spurs
1 of 6The Tony Parker and Richard Jefferson trade rumors coiled San Antonio in the days before the draft.
This puts the Spurs in an awkward position.
They head into the 2011-12 season with two starters who know they were put on the market. And instead of freeing up salary cap cluster by actually ridding themselves of Parker and Jefferson, San Antonio dealt away cap-friendly George Hill for Indiana's selection—Kawhi Leonard.
The Spurs went into the draft with the goal to juggle the makeup of their team.
Leonard is a good athlete and has the possibility of becoming a contributing player for San Antonio, but is he better than Hill? Cory Joseph has the ability to shoot from behind the arc but would have most likely still have been available at No. 42, and David Bertans is the model for the Spurs' stash pick.
But who is Adam Hanga?
San Antonio wasn't able to pull off the big deal it hoped of landing.
The Memphis Grizzlies
2 of 6The Memphis Grizzlies used their sole selection (49) on Kansas' Josh Selby.
Selby hasn't proved that he is consistent in any way, shape or form. He has a poor shot selection and is a streaky scorer—he only made 38 percent inside the arc.
His shooter's mentality makes him a poor passer, as he struggles to find open teammates throughout the floor. Selby's assist/turnover ratio was only 1.06.
Selby dealt with multiple knee injuries and suspensions during his one year stay at Kansas. He was a big-time recruit coming out of high school and was said to have had the choice of any school he pleased.
But he was not impressive in college.
He is a project and will most likely backup O.J. Mayo and Tony Allen at the 2-position.
The Washington Wizards
3 of 6The Jan Vesely pick is going to come back to haunt the Wizards.
Selected at No. 6 overall, the 6'11 Czech Republic native looked incredible in the Euroleague.
Well, he looked incredible dunking on Euro-sissies. His stats don’t translate to the NBA, and his raw potential will not be an immediate impact. He only weighs 230 pounds and isn’t going to be able to battle with other NBA athletes of his position.
Chris Singelton is probably the best defender coming out of the draft. However, he has a poor jump shot and will cost the Wizards on the offensive end.
Shelvin Mack isn't very experienced at the point guard position and lacks the speed needed to be successful in the NBA.
The Houston Rockets
4 of 6Marcus Morris is undoubtedly the lesser athlete of the twins, and the Rockets passed on Kawhi Leonard to get him.
Morris is a tweener prospect and will struggle at either position he plays in the NBA. He will most likely be placed at the 4-position despite his lack of length.
The Rockets were in desperate need of a center to possibly replace Yao Ming, and they're stacked with plenty of power forwards. This pick makes absolutely no sense.
Donatas Motiejunas is a complete mystery and is nowhere near NBA ready. Houston passed on Jordan Hamilton for this Euro question mark.
And was anyone else even going to draft Chandler Parsons?
The Los Angeles Clippers
5 of 6This one is simple.
Trey Thompkins is a jump-shooting power forward, and Los Angeles already has Blake Griffin. Fail.
Thompkins' former college teammate Travis Leslie is a combo guard that shot 30 percent from behind the arc. He has nice size but is not an offensive threat and will only be able to be utilized in defensive situations. Fail.
The Clippers' draft was a fail.
The Detroit Pistons
6 of 6Brandon Knight could end up being a complete point guard at the NBA level.
It’s just that he didn't prove anything in the NCAA to confirm it.
Knight isn't a pure point guard, and his ball-handling ability needs a ton of work. He dribbles the ball too high and will be an easy target for turnovers unless he improves. His passing ability is average but not instinctive, and he's turnover prone.
Knight isn't very conservative with his passes, which could label him a "playmaker." However, it's usually out of control and a more conservative approach would be ideal.
Knight shot just 42.3 percent from the floor and takes a lot of ill-advised shots. He isn't an explosive player and doesn't carry breathtaking speed or a vertical leap—required for his position in the NBA.
Plenty of teams brought Knight over for workouts and decided to pass on him, which may be a hint about his character.
Kyle Singler and Vernon Macklin are wasted picks. They are already in their mid-20's and did nothing great in college to show that they're draft-worthy.
The Detroit Pistons had the worst draft this year and did the least of any team to improve their roster.
