Detroit Pistons: 5 options for pick No. 45 in the 2019 NBA Draft

4. Ignas Brazdeikis

Don’t be scared away by what is happening with the Pistons’ most recent homecoming project involving a former Michigan star.

Detroit signed Glenn Robinson III to  a two-year deal last summer, hoping the ex-Wolverine could deliver on the potential he was starting to show before a serious ankle injury grounded the 2017 Slam Dunk contest winner.

Robinson was expected to challenge for the starting small forward job and complement Griffin and Drummond with his 3-and-D skill set. He wound up appearing in just 47 games (18 starts) and averaged 4.2 points while shooting 29 percent from 3-point range. He was even more of a non-factor in the playoffs, shooting 12.5 percent beyond the arc and barely getting off the bench in the final two games of Detroit’s first round loss via sweep to the Milwaukee Bucks.

Brazdeikis, like Robinson, is a Michigan product slotted as a small forward in the pros. He enters the draft following a freshman season in which he averaged 14.8 points and 5.4 rebounds per game, shooting 46.2 percent from the field and 39.2 percent on 3-pointers. He was voted Big Ten Freshman of the Year.

Detroit fans might look at Brazdeikis and be reminded of former Pistons forwards Jonas Jerebko and Ersan Ilyasova. He’s a tough European (from Lithuania) who has a scrappy quality to his game, but Brazdeikis is more of a shot-creator and ball-handler than those two.

Local ties and a hustle mentality would endear Brazdeikis to the Motor City faithful right away, but he’s more well-rounded than your average grinder. His game would fit in with Casey’s system and help the Pistons’ address an area of need on the wing.