Detroit Pistons history: Re-drafting the 2017 NBA Draft
Like all franchises in the NBA, the Detroit Pistons have a few NBA Drafts that they’d like to do again.
Some of the team’s worst decisions have been draft picks, whether you want to talk about Stanley Johnson, Brandon Knight or go all the way back to Darko Milicic, who is widely considered one of the biggest draft busts of all time.
Recently, we took a look back at the 2011 NBA Draft, where the Pistons passed on a few generational talents.
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That draft was actually defensible, as most of the best players were not well known coming out of college and plenty of teams passed on guys like Kawhi Leonard and Klay Thompson, who ended up becoming superstars in the league.
In 2017 the Detroit Pistons went for “need” over talent, taking Luke Kennard for his shooting when future superstar Donovan Mitchell was sitting right there.
But the Pistons weren’t the only team to blow this draft, so let’s take a look at how it might go now for picks 1-12 in the 2017 NBA Draft.
Detroit Pistons: Re-drafting the 2017 NBA Draft #1-3
93. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. Philadelphia 76ers. Jayson Tatum. player. Forward. 1
No team would like this one back more than Philly, who passed on several guys who became stars in favor of Markelle Fultz, who no longer even plays for the team. This is one of many picks the 76ers blew during “The Process” and one their fans would rather forget, as Tatum would look pretty good with Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. Ouch.
Guard. Los Angeles Lakers. 2. player. 20. Pick Analysis. Donovan Mitchell. Scouting Report
There was no way the Lakers were going to pass on hometown star Lonzo Ball, but they should have, as they could have had superstar Donovan Mitchell.
This is one of the biggest “what-ifs” in recent NBA history, as this pick might have changed the current landscape of the NBA. If the Lakers had drafted Mitchell would they have pursued Anthony Davis? Would Mitchell now be on the Pelicans with Zion Williamson? There is a lot to unpack with this one.
Pick Analysis. 3. player. 18. Boston Celtics. Bam Adebayo. Scouting Report. Forward/Center
Adebayo is another guy who wouldn’t fall nearly as far if we were to do this again, as he is one of the best bigs in the league and the model for Detroit Pistons’ center Isaiah Stewart.
Adebayo is an elite defender who just keeps getting better on offense and has proven himself to be one of the top players from the 2017 NBA Draft.