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With the NBA Draft Lottery over, the Detroit Pistons find themselves with the eighth pick in the NBA Draft in June. A position they were more than likely expecting to end up in. The Cleveland Cavaliers were fortunate enough land the number one pick in the draft, via the LA Clippers, the draft pick only had a 2.8% chance of getting the first pick. The Cavaliers also have the fortune of having the 4th pick in the draft as well.
The Minnesota Timberwolves were unlucky again and failed to acquire the top draft pick, even though they had a 25% chance of receiving the first pick. They ended up with the second overall pick and will have to wait and see who Cleveland takes first. It would have been clear who was going to be taken first had Minnesota received the first pick, but Cleveland has some serious options.
Cleveland will shape this draft a great deal and what they do will affect Detroit and who they take. I have said it numerous times that this team needs a point guard, they need an explosive point guard. Sadly there are only two point guards who fit the mold, Kyrie Irving and Brandon Knight, neither of which will be on the board when the 8th pick comes to Detroit. So who is Detroit going to take? I find the best way to determine this is to figure out who will be taken before their pick. Lets look at it.
1) Cleveland- Derrick Williams, SF: he offers Cleveland something they need, a big athletic body that can score in multiple ways. He is the most explosive player in this draft.
2) Minnesota- Kyrie Irving, PG: Kyrie is the best point guard in the draft and he is a game changer, Minnesota needs a point guard badly and they will certainly look to Kyrie to solve their woes.
3) Utah- Enes Kanter, C: he is a big body that passes the ball well and crashes the boards. He would be a nice complement to Al Jefferson down low.
4) Cleveland- Brandon Knight, PG: this is why I have Derrick Williams being picked number one overall. Cleveland still gets a very good point guard who is very explosive. He still needs to learn some things, but the talent is there.
5) Toronto- Tristan Thompson, PF: Thompson is a Toronto native and is only 6 ‘ 8″, but he plays big and he would give Toronto some much needed strength down low. He is physical and aggressive, a nice fit for Toronto.
6) Washington- Jonas Valanciunas, PF: This guy has the skill set and could run some nice pick and rolls with John Wall. This is more of a need for Washington, as they are really lacking down low. They need a skilled big man for Wall. This could be a question because the kid has a huge buyout clause in Europe, he could be a gamble.
7) Sacramento- Kawhi Leonard, SF: Sacramento needs help with their scoring positions, they have Cousins and Dalembert down low and Tyreke Evans will be going into his third season. Leonard would help balance out the team and give them a skilled player on the wing.
This now brings us to Detroit with the 8th pick. They can do a couple of things with this pick. In the Pistons case, I believe it will be between two players, Bismack Biyombo or Kemba Walker. Both are very different players, but both would be welcomed by the Pistons. Kemba is a point guard, but he is a scoring point guard and he likes to have the ball. He is not the best shooter in the world, but he is a winner and he loves to have the ball at the end of the game. I am not too sure how he will fit in at the NBA level, he seems to lack that burst of speed most point guards have in the NBA.
Bismack Biyombo is not a player I knew anything about, but after doing some research, I am impressed with this guy. He is very raw and has only been playing for a couple years, but he is very athletic. He is 6′ 9″ and has a wingspan of 7′ 7″ that will terrorize players in the NBA. The guy is quick and strong, he just has no identity as a player. I think he would be a great pick as long as there is a good coaching staff in place to help him get better.
My choice would be Biyombo because having him and Monroe down low would be very exciting for Pistons fans and they can address any point guard issues in the draft next year. This team needs to keep building as there is very little chance of having a successful season next year with no one guiding the offense. With the impending lock out on the horizon, any off season moves would be limited, so Detroit fans need to be patient.