Detroit Pistons: Ranking the last decade’s first-round picks

#8 Stanley Johnson (2015)

Moving onto players who had some meaningful moments so far, Stanley Johnson had a way to always tease you with his potential but never be able to consistently put it together. Fans of Johnson will always remember him excitedly taking on the challenge of guarding LeBron James in a playoff series as a rookie. The Pistons did not win that series obviously but the games were closer than many expected and Johnson was a big part of that.

Offensive consistency was always the biggest issue for Stanley Johnson. During his time in Detroit Johnson topped out at 38.1 percent from the field and 30.7 percent from distance. Eventually being a dynamic defender was not enough.

Some members of the fan base will dislike how low Johnson is ranked and I will admit some personal bias. I remember when we drafted Stanley Johnson. I was in the car on a road trip following the draft on my phone.

As I watched Justise Winslow slide my excitement built. While I was off base on the star potential of Winslow it was what I wanted and never expected him to be there when the Pistons picked. When they took Johnson over Winslow it made me somewhat sour on Johnson early. But then the aforementioned Cleveland series happened and I was at least interested.

Unfortunately it just never came together in Detroit and he has struggled to catch on elsewhere. Hopefully, for him he will be able to latch on somewhere when the next season starts and is able to finally do something with his potential.