Detroit Pistons: 2018 NBA Draft grades
By KC Whitten
Now that the 2018 NBA Draft is complete, here are the draft grades for each selection the Detroit Pistons made.
The Detroit Pistons entered the 2018 NBA Draft with little fanfare. As is always the case, media coverage was focused on teams involved with lottery picks.
No trades were made to nab the Pistons a first round pick, and they only had one pick at No. 42 in the second round.
In order to acquire Blake Griffin, the Pistons traded away their 2018 first round pick along with Tobias Harris, Avery Bradley, Boban Marjanovic and their second round draft pick in 2019.
Judging from the reactions on Twitter, many Pistons fans aren’t happy with losing this year’s first round pick.
https://twitter.com/too_niceee/status/1009960021915045889
Ummmmm so you’re telling me the Pistons could’ve had Michael Porter Jr....
— Chris Crowder (@crowderchowder) June 22, 2018
https://twitter.com/HenshawWWT/status/1009960202689499141
The frustration is understandable. At 6’9″, Michael Porter Jr. has the potential to be a dynamic wing player, something the Pistons desperately need. Maybe Porter will develop into a future superstar in the NBA. However, Porter is coming off of a microdiscectomy, which repaired L3 and L4 vertebrae. He was less than impressive with Missouri in his two games back from the procedure.
The trade for Blake Griffin this past January is a clear sign that the Pistons are in win-now mode. The trio of Griffin, Andre Drummond and Reggie Jackson will form a formidable Big 3 in the Eastern Conference in 2018-19. Though a small sample size, the Pistons were 3-1 when their Big 3 started together last season.
Since the trade of Avery Bradley, the Pistons have been in desperate need of a shooting guard. Detroit traded two future second round picks with the Philadelphia 76ers to acquire the rights to shooting guard Khyri Thomas, selected 38th overall, from Creighton. With the 42nd overall pick, the Pistons selected shooting guard Bruce Brown Jr. out of Miami.
So how do the additions of these two young guards affect the current Pistons roster? To sort it out, here are the Detroit Pistons’ 2018 NBA Draft grades.