The Detroit Pistons have had a gaping hole at the small forward position for what seems like ages now. The last dependable play they got from the 3 spot was nearly ten years ago, when Tayshaun Prince was in his prime during the mid 2000’s. Since then, the position has always been in flux in D-Town. Now it looks like the Pistons may have found their long term solution via the upcoming NBA Draft. Following from RealGM’s Andrew Perna:
The Detroit Pistons are targeting Stanley Johnson with the eighth overall pick assuming Mario Hezonja is off the board, according to a source.
The expectation is that Hezonja and Emmanuel Mudiay will not be available to the Pistons at No. 8 with the Sacramento Kings (6th) and Denver Nuggets (7th) drafting ahead of them.
Johnson averaged 13.8 points and 6.5 rebounds per game at Arizona during his freshman season.
The answer comes in the form of Arizona product Stanley Johnson. Johnson could provide excellent two way production right off the bat. He is one of the more polished and NBA ready players in this year’s draft pool. At 6’7″ and 245 pounds, Johnson has a stocky body, fit for the punishment wings are expected to endure every time they attack the lane with reckless abandon. His elite defensive ability and improved outside stroke make him one of the most complete players in the class as well.
The Stanley Johnson pick comes with the belief that guards Emmanuel Mudiay and Mario Hezonja will have already heard their names be called by the time Detroit is on the clock. If either of those two are still there, all bets are off as he would then be the more likely pick, especially Mudiay.
Stanley Johnson would make the most sense in my opinion though. They already have a healthy plethora of guards in Reggie Jackson, Brandon Jennings, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Jodie Meeks. Plus they just traded Caron Butler, their starting small forward last season, for Ersan Ilyasova since the belief is that Greg Monroe won’t be in a Pistons uniform next season. Detroit is one missing link away from being a legitimate playoff contender, chances are they’ll be able to acquire him come Thursday night.
