9. Stanley Johnson, Detroit Pistons
Let’s get this out-of-the-way: Johnson doesn’t have the polish to plant himself higher on the board for Rookie of the Year consideration. He does, however, have a very bright future in this league as a power guard and mismatch at the 2-spot.
Since Kentavious Caldwell-Pope went down due to injury Johnson has had the chance to step in and play shooting guard for the Pistons in a starting role. He’s had success using his size advantage against smaller opponents and has looked more than serviceable in his new role.
This suggests that his future isn’t at small forward which could complicate things for Detroit given Caldwell-Pope’s improvement this season. Regardless of the decisions that’ll come down the road Johnson, has plenty of upside and overlooking him in any way is foolish to say the least.
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