Fansided

Re-drafting the 2015 NBA Draft

By John Buhler

Nov 23, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat forward Justise Winslow (20) dribbles the ball against the New York Knicks during the second half at American Airlines Arena. The Heat won 95-78. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 23, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat forward Justise Winslow (20) dribbles the ball against the New York Knicks during the second half at American Airlines Arena. The Heat won 95-78. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 23, 2016; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons forward Stanley Johnson (3) dribbles the ball during the fourth quarter against the Orlando Magic at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Pistons win 118-102. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 23, 2016; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons forward Stanley Johnson (3) dribbles the ball during the fourth quarter against the Orlando Magic at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Pistons win 118-102. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports /

64. . Small Forward. Arizona Wildcats. Stanley Johnson. 8. player

Taking Stanley Johnson at No. 8 wasn’t one of the more intriguing picks of the first round of the 2015 NBA Draft, but it looks like the right decision for the Detroit Pistons in this re-draft. Johnson played a crucial rotational role out on the wing for a Pistons team that ended an eight-year playoff skid in 2016.

While Detroit could have conceivably got a wing with higher upside at No. 8 last summer in Duke’s Winslow, he’s already off the board to the 76ers in this re-draft and Johnson still seems like the right pick at No. 8 entering the 2016-17 NBA season.

With Stan Van Gundy as head coach/team president of the Pistons and with general manager Jeff Bower aiding in the front office, Detroit feels like a team that is going to be in the Eastern Conference Playoffs for a long time.

Johnson will continue to grow, much like how Kentavious Caldwell-Pope ascended in year three out of Georgia. In the pace and space era of the NBA, it makes all the sense in the world to use a lottery pick on a high-upside wing like Johnson coming out of the University of Arizona. He wasn’t flashy in 2015-16, but clearly merits a top 10 selection in this 2015 NBA re-draft.

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