The Detroit Pistons currently hold the 7th pick in the NBA draft, and they are looking to pick up a solid piece that will help them contend for an NBA championship in the future.
A superstar type player will likely not be available past the 5th pick, so drafting a guy that can be a 3-5 time all-star, and possibly make an All-NBA third, or even second team would be an amazing selection by Detroit.
There is good news and bad news. The bad news? The Pistons don’t have a very good track record with the draft lately, selecting Stanley Johnson, Henry Ellenson, Luke Kennard, and Sekou Doumboya these last few drafts in the 1st round. While Luke Kennard is solid for the Pistons so far, Stanley Johnson and Ellenson are both off the team, and the future of Sekou Doumboya is very unknown.
The good news, however, is that the Pistons now have Troy Weaver as their general manager, who was the former general manager of the Oklahoma City Thunder before coming here
Who are the two best options for the Pistons? Let’s find out.
Option 1: Killian Hayes – PG – France
2020 EuroCup Stats – 12.8 PPG, 6.2 APG, 2.3 RPG, 1.5 SPG, 0.2 BPG, .455 FG%, .390 3P%, .909 FT%. (10 Games, 26.8 MPG)
Killian Hayes is a solid prospect with good size, who can play the 1 or the 2, and knows the game of basketball. He is amazing at creating his own shot, and while he is solid at driving to the rim and has good touch at the rim, he doesn’t attack as much as he should and has problems finishing through contact.
Hayes is also great at finding the open man but sometimes throws wild passes. Hayes sometimes plays too fast and forces the issue, but he thrives in transition and in pick and roll situations. He is improving his efficiency in catch and shoot situations, but he isn’t a big threat there yet, making him not much of a threat off the ball.
On defense, Killian is great when his motor is up, but it’s very inconsistent, and sometimes focuses too much on the ball rather than the “big picture,” and can’t really guard faster opponents, but he is very good at defending the pick and roll. It is also notable that he is elite at changing speeds and directions.
Overall, Hayes is a solid offensive versatile prospect who can score for himself, as well as find his open teammates, as his ability to drive and kick the rock out to the open man would be great for our system, as Luke Kennard, Svi Mykhaliuk, Tony Snell, Langston Galloway, and even Blake Griffin are all capable shooters that can knock down open threes.
Option 2: Tyrese Haliburton – PG – Iowa State
2020 College Stats – 15.2 PPG, 6.5 AST, 5.9 RPG, 2.5 SPG, 0.7 BPG, .504 FG%, .419 3P%, .822 FT%. (22 Games, 36.7 MPG)
Arguably the best playmaker in this draft is Tyrese Haliburton. Another 6’5” point guard, he can see over most other point guards to find the open man, but his 180-pound frame could be a problem on the defensive side of the ball.
His main selling point as a player is his passing, as he can not only find the open man, but he is very good at getting the ball to them as well. Not only is Haliburton a great playmaker, but he also contributes to just about every aspect of the game.
In 36.7 minutes per game last season at Iowa State, he averaged 15.2 points per game on a bit over 50 percent shooting from the field and almost 42 percent from the 3 point line, so even though his jump shot is a bit awkward, it would be a stupid decision to leave him open from anywhere on or inside the 3-point line.
However, Tyrese isn’t the best in iso situations, and his smaller size leads him to struggle against more physical players. His low-arc pushy jump shot doesn’t allow for many contested jumpers either, but he can very well fix that, as he has a high release to go along with his 6’5” size. Haliburton is quick and shifty, but he doesn’t have much leaping ability or a big arsenal of dribble moves, so he’ll rely on burning defenders with his speed in order to get to the rim if he chooses to do so.
For having a 22.4% usage rate in college, his efficiency was amazing, and his assist-turnover ratio was a solid 3.5 to 1. He has quick feet and hands on the defensive side of the ball and shows good effort. However, his small frame might cause him to get bodied by bigger guards, and he can’t guard any other position but other point guards and possibly some smaller shooting guards.
Like Hayes, he would be great in up-tempo situations and can get to the basket or turn the corner in a pick and roll situation well. Overall, he is an amazing playmaker who can shoot the rock, get to the basket, and play some perimeter defense when needed to.
Isaac Okoro would be a great defensive option for the Pistons if he’s available, but the Pistons need guard play, and they don’t need another forward. Deni Avdija and LaMelo Ball are also great prospects, but it’s very unrealistic that Detroit will get either one.
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