Detroit Pistons: A look back at NBA Draft history before 2018
The Detroit Pistons have a single pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. Based off of draft history, how much value can the franchise get out of the selection?
The 2017-18 Detroit Pistons were a team once again on the outside looking in when it came to the playoffs. Their 39-43 record placed them ninth in the Eastern Conference, four games behind the eighth-seeded Washington Wizards. 2017-18 was their second consecutive season — and eighth in the last nine years — missing the postseason.
For this reason, on May 7, the Pistons organization relieved head coach and president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy of his duties. SVG led Detroit basketball to a 152-176 record in four seasons and a first round playoff sweep in 2016.
The Pistons will be seeking a new head coach and a new president of basketball operations separately this summer. Whoever they hire is tasked with building a contender out of a team that has over $378 million tied up in the contracts of Blake Griffin, Andre Drummond and Reggie Jackson over the next five years.
Building through the draft is normally a reasonable way to improve a franchise. However, that will be harder to do in 2018, as the Pistons are armed with only the No. 42 overall pick. The team held its own first round pick in this draft up until the NBA Draft Lottery in May.
On Jan. 29, Detroit dealt Avery Bradley, Tobias Harris, Boban Marjanovic and this year’s first round selection to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for Blake Griffin, Brice Johnson and Willie Reed.
The pick was conditional when it was sent to L.A. If it fell within the top four via the draft lottery, it would remain with the Pistons. However, the pick did not land within those confines, instead falling in its expected position of 12th overall. Therefore, the Clippers received the pick and will select back-to-back in the first round.
This leaves the Pistons with just the No. 42 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. Detroit has selected in this position four times, but hasn’t done so since 1968. The Pistons first took Walt Acamushko in 1957, followed by Shellie McMillon in 1958, William Pickens in 1966 and Rich Niemann in 1968. Acamushko and Pickens never ended up making the NBA.
One quirk about this pick is that the Utah Jazz have picked 42nd in each of the last three drafts. They selected Thomas Bryant in 2017, Isaiah Whitehead in 2016 and Olivier Hanlan in 2015. To make things even quirkier, none of those picks ever logged a minute in a Jazz uniform.
Last draft, Bryant’s rights, along with No. 30 pick Josh Hart, were sent to the Los Angeles Lakers for the rights to No. 28 pick Tony Bradley. In 2016, they traded Whitehead’s rights to the Brooklyn Nets for the rights to No. 55 pick Marcus Paige and cash considerations.
Hanlan’s rights remained with Jazz organization following the 2015 draft. However, he elected to play out his rookie season in Lithuania for Zalgiris Kaunas. On July 5, 2016, Utah traded his draft rights to the San Antonio Spurs for Boris Diaw and a 2022 second rounder.
Notable No. 42 picks in the league today include Golden State Warriors center Zaza Pachulia, Clippers guard Patrick Beverley and San Antonio Spurs forward Davis Bertans. Past 42nd picks include Stephen Jackson, Matt Geiger, Harvey Catchings, Bobby Simmons, Ronald Murray and Daniel Gibson.
It’s hard to gage who Detroit will select with this mid-second round selection. NBADraft.net currently sees them taking Missouri State forward Alize Johnson. Tankathon expects the Pistons to select Kentucky guard Hamadou Diallo. Lastly, DraftSite.com thinks they will go with Texas Tech guard Zhaire Smith.
Next: 2018 NBA Mock Draft - Doncic still No. 1 in post-lottery edition
No matter who the Detroit Pistons select on June 21 in Brooklyn, that rookie will enter a new era of the franchise that is filled with more questions than answers.