So what are the odds of going pro after this season for each of Houston, Diabate, Dickenson?
I know Houston was projected in the lottery preseason but I’m still seeing him on some mock drafts as a 1st rounder. I saw one mock draft with Diabate in the first round. Still no love for Hunter in the mock drafts even though he did everything nba asked him to when he returned this year, showed he was not just a back to the basketball traditional big by hitting jump shots all the way out to the 3 point line, showing good passing ability, showing he can go right on occassion, and improving his stats across the board with a ridiculous 18 points per game. What more can he possibly do???
I’d honestly lean towards a top notch scorer, which to me is Ivey. I think the idealized version of Cade is probably a better version of, say, Khris Middleton - a guy who is good at lots of things, poor at none, but maybe doesn’t excel at any, and I’m not positive Cade is the primary engine of a top notch offense (I see him as 2nd, while being a quality perimeter defender).
They also, as noted, could use a P&R finisher, but I don’t know if those guys are at the top of this draft.
Banchero is my favorite of the bigger guys in this draft but I’m not positive he’s the profile they need (he’d mostly, in my mind, make Jerami Grant redundant, which is fine, but not of top priority). Stewart has sort of convinced me he can’t play offense well enough to start.
I think in regard to Hunter - Vecenie (love him or hate him) really hit on what is now holding Hunter back - his defense and inability to move laterally, footwork, and defensive stance. If he was even slightly below average in these areas, the NBA would be knocking. Everyone believes he can score, it’s just his defensive liabilities that showed more than ever this season.
I think you can fit any of these guys next to Cade (Ivey, Paolo, Chet, Duren), none of their skillsets over lap. The question is who fits best with the other pieces the Pistons already have, not to say any of these other pieces are all that promising. The only other player I would build around might be Saddiq Bey. So, again, Ivey, Paolo, Chet, Smith all work in this team. which brings up the problem of athleticism: if you want to draft athleticism in this draft or get it from free agency.
Yeah it’s not as if they have so many future pieces in place that they need to be super-choosy here. I just think that Banchero is a guy you want to play with the ball, as both a scorer and facilitator, otherwise he’s not really using his best features. That makes me like his “fit” the least.
Jabari can fit with anyone because he’s a tall shooter with some defensive upside.
I like Chet as a fit next to Isaiah Stewart. Stewart’s physicality, ability to switch on to guards and above-average shot blocking paired with Chet’s length could be fearsome defensive frontline. And at the very least he can be a give you some offense off shooting and lobs if he’s too skinny to create on his own. Questions about how Stewart-Chet can work together on offense (I like Stewart’s shooting upside) but I think they complement each other really well on defense.
Paolo and Cade could be deadly together on offense. They’re both so skilled and versatile and they are great passers.
Ivey would be a great fit if he doesn’t need to have the ball in his hand to be effective.
Murray, Matherin and Davis are all probably good fits and it depends on who you think will be better.
Agreed, Banchero is the player most similar to Cade and Paolo is pretty much a lesser version of Cade in what he does best despite playing a different position.
I’m absolutely on the Ivey train as well, he is the most complementary player in the draft considering Cade.
Also agree.
One thing about planning around a tandem with Chet and Stewart is that you’re lacking athleticism, at least on the offensive end.
For me I think Duren may be the fifth-best prospect, and a good one for the Pistons. I think Ivey remains the top-tier guy I like the most next to Cade, but none of them are an ideal fit unless you think Chet’s weight won’t be an issue. I think it will be an issue.
It’s more the other way around. If you’re going to pick Chet, you need someone that complements him because he’s such a unique prospect. Pistons just happens to have someone already with the complementary skills.
I see the logic in it, but to me if Chet’s just not strong enough to protect the paint I don’t know that having a specific guy next to him can truly hide that. He’s a special case, in ways both good and bad. He gained 5 pounds from age 17 to 19.
I think you could put Stewart on the more physical matchup (he’s still an above average shot-blocker on his own.) And free up Chet to roam for steals and blocks. That being said, Chet’s still pretty good at blocking shots when people try to bully him.
Each of the top 4 are a great fit with Cade IMO. I just lean more toward Smith and Ivey because they both have high ceilings IMO, with a more certain path to get to their ceiling than Chet. I just get really nervous about skinny players like that. Banchero doesn’t excite me because I think his ceiling is a Jerami Grant level player - number two option on a decent team, very good third option on a good team. Smith and Ivey could be primary scorers on a good team.
You think Smith can be a primary scorer on a good team? I guess I don’t see that when he’s more of a shooter than a scorer. Smith to me clearly seems like a secondary option on a good team. Very useful piece to have someone at that size who can shoot like that, but he doesn’t have the most diversified offensive skillset. I actually think Banchero has more in his bag from that standpoint. Ivey probably has the highest upside as a scorer.