NBA Draft 2019: 5 targets for the Detroit Pistons
By Ian Levy
The Detroit Pistons are tied to a future built around Andre Drummond and Blake Griffin. Where can they look to get some perimeter help in the NBA Draft?
The Pistons were swept out of the playoffs by the Milwaukee Bucks, showing just how over-their-heads they were without Blake Griffin in the first two games. But even when he was back on the floor, their lack of shooting, perimeter depth and creation ability was completely exposed. The team is committed, willingly or unwillingly at this point, to Andre Drummond and Blake Griffin in the middle but they desperately need offensive threats on the perimeter to make things easier on their bigs.
With the No. 15 pick in the first round, the Pistons found themselves outside the range where there are any sure things. However, they have plenty of options to explore for adding shooting and depth and this group of prospects would seem to make the most sense.
5. Nassir Little, Forward, North Carolina
Little is seen as a prospect with relatively high upside given his status as a prized recruit for North Carolina heading into this freshman season. However, he ended up playing a much smaller role in the rotation than anticipated, spending most of his time as a power forward because his wing skills — dribble penetration and shooting — didn’t manifest as expected.
Little could be available when the Pistons are on the clock and if he develops his offensive skills, his defensive potential as a combo forward could have a lot of value for Detroit. However, there’s a lot of Stanley Johnson to his game which should be a bit disconcerting for Pistons’ fans.