Peyton-Siva and Adreian Payne.jpg

Point guard Peyton Siva (right) thinks four years at Louisville will help him earn a spot on the Detroit Pistons roster.

(AP File Photo)

AUBURN HILLS – Peyton Siva thinks four years in one of the nation's top college basketball programs playing under a legendary coach provided him with the foundation to succeed in the NBA.

Now it's up to Siva to prove he belongs.

He'll get that opportunity with the Detroit Pistons, who selected the 22-year-old point guard in the second round (56th overall) of Thursday's NBA Draft. Siva comes to Detroit from Louisville, where he spent four years playing for Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino.

In his final game for Pitino and Louisville in April, Siva directed the Cardinals to the NCAA Championship.

Add it all up and it's no wonder he's confident about sticking with the Pistons despite being one of the final selections in the 2013 draft.

"It's going to help me a lot," Siva said of his days at Louisville. "Playing four years under coach Pitino has really helped me mature a lot ... on and off the court. That really helped me make the transition to the NBA.

"Coach P was an NBA coach, Hall of Famer coach. He really tried to run his system as an NBA coach so I think that will help me out."

The Pistons had Siva on their radar since interviewing him during last month's NBA Combine in Chicago.

President of basketball operations Joe Dumars called Siva "all heart and hustle" and liked the character reports he received during background checks the Pistons routinely do on all draft prospects.

The Pistons also liked the fact that Siva came from such a strong program.

"The first thing it does is it brings a maturity to the team," said assistant general manager George David. "What he's experienced and his maturity and his ability to make the right play, it's a very, very valuable trait.

"He's somebody who I've always looked at as being a deceptive athlete. He's a much better athlete than maybe some people have given him credit for. He's a guy that plays hard and just knows how to make the right play, a guy that gets into you defensively.

"Those are all things we really valued with him."

Although just 6-foot, 185 pounds, Siva is considered an excellent athlete who is a good playmaker, works the pick-and-roll well, has good speed and is a solid defender.

In 144 career games at Louisville, he averaged 8.4 points, 4.7 assists and 1.8 steals. His 677 career assists are second in school history. Although he only shot 42 percent in college, Siva isn't worried about that hurting his chances of sticking with the Pistons.

"In college, my role was to get other people open shots," he said. "I had a lot of scorers around me. It wasn't necessary for me to go out there and score 20 points a game or do anything like that. I was a facilitator to get other people shots. That's what coach Dumars drafted me for to come here.

"I see myself playing more of a defensive role, getting after guys."

Siva, who will play for the Pistons team in next month's Orlando Summer League, already knows a few of the Pistons. He played against third-year guard Brandon Knight in college as well as in the various summer circuits and is friendly with fellow Seattle native Rodney Stuckey.

He's also well aware of the success the Pistons enjoyed before falling on hard times in recent years.

"I know they come from a rich tradition of winning; tough-nosed team," Siva said. "Joe Dumars played for one of the toughest teams. Present, young team. They like to get out there. We got a couple great guys in this draft, (Kentavious) Caldwell-Pope and Tony Mitchell, and (Andre) Drummond from previous years.

"Looking forward to playing with these guys and learning a lot from Knight, Stuckey and (Jose) Calderon."

He also knows he has to win over some local fans that haven't gotten over the NCAA title game, when Siva scored 18 points, had six rebounds and handed out five assists as Louisville beat Michigan 82-76.

He admitted to getting a few awkward looks after arriving in Detroit the day after the draft – "I got some awkward looks last night, too," Dumars joked. "Welcome to my world." – but Siva hopes all will eventually be forgiven.

"I told somebody coming here I didn't realize all the Michigan fans," he said with a laugh. "I quickly knew this was Michigan space. I'm just looking to make my presence (felt) for Detroit fans. My college career is over so hopefully I can get some new fans in the NBA.

"It's just great to be here. I think this is the best spot for me to come in and play under coach Dumars and coach (Maurice) Cheeks and a great organization. I'm just blessed to be here. I'm here to work hard and continue trying to win games."

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