With the 8th overall pick, the Detroit Pistons are supposed to get a meaningful, early-impact rookie in the upcoming NBA draft. But one position they’re obvioulsy not going to touch is at center.
Whether Greg Monroe stays or goes doesn’t matter. The Pistons would like to keep him, but won’t be too sad if he goes away. He’s a good power forward, but not a franchise cornerstone.
Things are different when concerning Andre Drummond, averaging 13.8 points and 13.5 rebounds in his third NBA season. There are things he needs to work on (like free throws), but there’s no need in drafting someone who expects to play right away to the same position. That’s the one spot the Pistons are sure of heading into next year.
Obviously, our immediate need is not for a center. There’s no question about that. We’re locked in with Andre Drummond, we like his development, we like the way he has been working. It’s best for us — more than likely — to take someone at another position. If you do take somebody at eight that’s a center you’d have to look at that person as a backup for the foreseeable future, and I don’t know if that’s where you want to use a lottery pick.
So who do they pick? Probably a forward. ESPN has them taking Mario Hezonja, the Croatian forward, but Justise Winslow out of Duke and Stanley Johnson out of Arizona are also very possible options.