With the Detroit Pistons picking just outside the lottery in the 2019 NBA draft, here are a few prospects they should look to avoid.
As a franchise, the Detroit Pistons have not been the best of teams when it comes to drafting talented prospects.
Pistons fans everywhere probably still have nightmares about drafting Darko Milicic over future Hall-of-Famers Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade in 2003
The Pistons are a franchise on the cusp of playoff contention, and need to make sure they avoid drafting these three players in order to not have a repeat of the 2003 draft.
3. Bol Bol, Oregon Ducks
One player who has been mocked in the past month to the Pistons is Bol Bol, a 7 foot+ behemoth who would instantly become one of the tallest players in the NBA once he was drafted.
Sites such as SB Nation have highlighted the pros of taking the former Oregon Duck, singing the praises of Bol as he averaged 21 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.7 blocks in his freshmen season at Oregon.
While Bol and his enormous 7'8″ wingspan are quite impressive, he would not be a good fit with the Pistons. The Pistons already have a better version of Bol; his name is Thon Maker. Not too mention, those averages listed above were only through nine games, which is an extremely small sample size for an injury-prone player.
The Pistons are need of some depth to provide Blake Griffin insurance, as he was playing hurt in the playoffs partially because head coach Dwayne Casey didn't trust any of his replacements.
While a backup forward would help the roster, a worse version of Maker is not what the Pistons need.
2. Romeo Langford, Indiana
The player that has most often been mocked to the Pistons has been Indiana shooting guard Romeo Langford, as ESPN, The Athletic and Bleacher Report all seem to agree that Langford would fit in perfectly in the Motor City.
While Langford shows the potential to be an impactful shooter in NBA, that's not exactly what the Pistons need. They have a plethora of young shooters, as Luke Kennard and Svi Mykhailiuk both provided shooting at the 2-guard for the Pistons, with Kennard showing flashes of greatness in April's playoff series against the Milwaukee Bucks.
As many young shooters to have come before him, Langford may take a long time to figure out how to efficiently shoot in the NBA. Being that he shot 27 percent on 125 threes last season with the Hoosiers, Langford is persistent at the 2-guard position, but may run into the learning curve of NBA 3-point shooting.
It's looking like that could be a long transition, and with the current state of Detroit's roster, they don't have time for Langford to develop into the player he could be.
1. Daniel Gafford, Arkansas
The Pistons number-one priority this offseason should be providing front court depth, simultaneously pushing Jon Leuer off the roster and giving injury insurance for an injury prone superstar in Blake Griffin.
At first look, Gafford looks to be an adequate big man who is more than capable of getting playing time in the NBA. His raw athleticism, incredible length, and shot blocking ability are why Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders mocked Gafford, who has already worked out in Detroit, to the Pistons.
Gafford is your classic high-upside Montrez Harrell-esque big, but as is the case with the majority of those prospects, he is indeed a high risk pick. He's not ranked very high on most boards, as ESPN rates him as a second round pick (No. 40 overall prospect).
In addition to the lack of a first round grade, Gafford's raw talent may not be able to translate in the NBA, as he's essentially unplayable if he struggles to guard guards on switches out on the perimeter. At 56 percent shooting in his one season with the Razorbacks, Gafford is not a consistent free throw shooter, and lacks any semblance of a three-point-shot, making him unable to play alongside Drummond.
While Gafford could be the next Clint Capela, he could also be a less-polished version of Zaza Pachulia, which is not an ideal option at No. 15 for Detroit.
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